Domenicali: Drive To Survive must bring a lot to F1 in order to continue

On March 11th, Netflix will release the fourth season of Drive to Survive, focusing on the 2021 Formula 1 championship. And this season, more than the others, is highly anticipated as it is expected to highlight the intense rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

However, the president of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali, issues a warning. While he acknowledges the positive impact that the series has had so far, he also cautions that it will have to continue its efforts if it wants to survive.

« There is no doubt about the incredible impact of Drive to Survive, especially on viewership, but also on the American market for example, admits Domenicali. « And this will continue, and all I can tell you is to stay connected, because I had the opportunity to watch it and it’s fantastic, with the right pace. And as you can imagine with everything that happened last year, there will be a lot of action. So it’s good. ».

However, Domenicali is warning the platform. “I think it is important for us to continue, with Drive to Survive, with our friends at Netflix, as long as we are certain of the value and differentiation factor. If it is just another way to talk about F1 without adding real value, then I think it would be better to renegotiate and see with Netflix and the other partners what could be done differently in the future,” he explains.

Stefano Domenicali also emphasizes the benefits of the series on the visibility of Formula 1, especially among the younger generation.

A beneficial partnership for both sides.

Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, also presented his arguments. “I think it’s a good partnership,” Maffei admits. “It clearly helped us, and we saw a 58% increase in viewership in the United States, for example […]. That being said, it’s a winning bet for Netflix as well. They were number one in 27 countries in 2021,” Maffei elaborates, before recalling that some executives were not at all enthusiastic about the series, like Toto Wolff.

Indeed, the team principal and shareholder of Mercedes F1 was particularly skeptical when the project was presented to him.

« A clear change in mentality has been observed, reveals Greg Maffei. « I love teasing Toto about how he hated the first season of Drive to Survive. He didn’t want to participate and had a lot of reasons. Today, I would describe him as a very enthusiastic fan. And I think that reflects the general feeling of the teams. So it has proven to be a win-win situation in every sense. It has clearly grown our sport, not just in the United States, but globally. But it has also been an incredible thing for Netflix. That’s why I hope this marriage will last for a long time to come, concludes Maffei.