The fourth season of Drive to Survive, which features the epic and tense battle for the 2021 world championship between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, hit screens on March 11.
To begin with, Stefano Domenicali acknowledged that the series had so far had a very positive impact on Formula 1, but warned that it would have to continue to do so to continue.
“There is no doubt that Drive to Survive has had an incredible effect, especially in attracting new audiences, and also opening doors to other markets such as the United States,” he told Wall Street analysts.
“And I hope that continues, I can say that you have to be attentive to the new series, because I have already had the opportunity to see it and it is fantastic. And as you can imagine, with everything that has happened during the year, there will be a lot of action So that’s a positive.”
“I think it’s important for us to have Drive to Survive, with our friends at Netflix , at least until such time as we think it’s doing something for us.”
“If it becomes a different way of talking about F1 without adding any value to the top flight, maybe I think it would be better to renegotiate and talk to Netflix and the other partners to see what the possibility might be of doing something different in F1. the future”.
“But yes, this platform has been a vital part in the growth of F1, mainly for the young generation and newcomers to F1. And for that we have to thank that exposure, as well as the process and the quality, that has been really, really good.”
Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei also explained that the Drive to Survive series has been as positive for Netflix as it has been for Formula 1 .
“I think it’s a great partnership,” the American said. “Although it has helped us with a growth in our television audience, for example, in the US of 58%, it has also been key to reducing the average age of our fans by four years.”
“That’s in stark contrast to the large number of sports that have an aging average fan base and a declining television audience.”
“Acknowledging that, you also have to say that it’s a very profitable product for Netflix. The series was number one at some point in the year in 27 different countries. It’s profitable for them.”
“So I think it’s positive in every way, as much as Netflix has done for us, I like to think that we’ve done well for Netflix as well. And when I spoke with [Netflix founder] Reed and Ted [co-CEO ], I know they’re very excited about the product.”
Maffei added that even skeptics such as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had realized the value of the series.
“We have clearly seen a change in mentality,” he said. “I love joking with Toto about how he hated Drive to Survive in the first season, he said he wasn’t going to be in it and he had reasons for it. And now I’d describe him as an avid fan. And I think that’s representative of how most fans feel. equipment”.
“So it’s been a win in every way. Clearly our sport grew not only in the US, but around the world, but it was also a huge benefit to Netflix, so I hope the marriage continues for a long time.” concluded.
