How Netflix lets F1 characters shine best, but risks broadcasters' wrath

The pain in Lewis Hamilton's voice as he apologises to Mercedes for throwing away the lead of the 2019 German Grand Prix. The brutally casual way Christian Horner calls Pierre Gasly Red Bull's "Achilles heel" last year. The nervous charm of Alex Albon showing camera crews around the small, rented home he shared with his family.

There are plenty of other highlights from the second season of Netflix's Formula 1 documentary, 'Drive to Survive' - but the above really stood out. And what made all of them special was the level of access the show's producer, 'Box to Box Films', had to the characters involved.

The new series seems to have been positively received by viewers and F1 fans - although a couple of tabloid journalists probably haven't enjoyed the reaction to their actions in certain episodes. And it would seem, judging by the wording of waiver signs posted at various points of the recent Racing Point 2020 season launch in Mondsee last month, that filming for a third series is already underway.

'Drive to Survive' is undoubtedly good for F1. It's easily accessible to Netflix subscribers, it's bite-sized and fast-paced, and it pushes the championship's biggest characters firmly to the front. Nowhere else, surely, would you get Daniel Ricciardo saying (non-fans of gratuitous swearing, look away now): "Netflix are a real bunch of c***s, aren't they? I'd love for them to play that!"

Such inclusions, as well as small details like Hamilton and Toto Wolff forgetting Mercedes' full, sponsor-friendly, team name give the show a bit of edge. The characters play up to their roles in a way they rarely seem to on traditional broadcasts. It feels noticeably less PR-satisfying than some of the other 'fly-on-the-wall-but-we-say-what-the-fly-sees' sports documentaries that have been churned out by streaming services in recent years, but the teams do naturally retain control over the ultimate inclusions.

As the second season was released on the same day as the second 2020 pre-season test at Barcelona was concluding, there was plenty of interest in the paddock, and the drivers were regularly asked for their thoughts on the show.

"I really enjoyed the first season," says Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. "I've been watching it, and also the voices I hear from everyone else, even people who weren't particularly watching F1 before, [they] loved it. So, I'm pretty sure for the image of Formula 1, for us drivers, it's very positive."

The drivers also revealed how the 'Drive to Survive' team goes about capturing the moments that matter throughout the F1 season.

"They're good at hiding, and getting things that you don't expect," says Kevin Magnussen, whose Haas team features in a dedicated episode that includes the dramatic confrontation (largely via audio only) between Magnussen, his team-mate Romain Grosjean and team boss Gunther Steiner after the intra-Haas collision at Silverstone last year. "I have seen the one that I'm in. And they didn't even put the bad things in..."

Valtteri Bottas, whose Mercedes team only agreed to let Netflix film its actions behind the scenes at the Hockenheim race (Ferrari only allowed filming at Austin) explains that the 'Drive to Survive' team "knew when they had to step away and when they could be involved and so on. It didn't really change much for us, so that is well done".

"You ignore them," says Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams. "They're very good, the Netflix team are fantastic. We've obviously worked with them for two years now, and they've always been very mindful and conscious of where they are and where they've put themselves.

If F1 is determined to continue the pay TV model that Bernie Ecclestone encouraged, then surely a return to the split offering with a terrestrial channel - used in the UK until the end of 2018 - would satisfy all parties once the current Sky deal expires in 2024

"We've always been a team that is quite open about sharing with people this great sport that we're involved in, and show what it takes to be a Formula 1 team. So, for us, having cameras around, it doesn't necessarily bother us because we understand the long-term impact of what those cameras are doing."

Williams ends on the key point - Netflix is trying to sell subscriptions to its platform, and F1 wants to increase interest in the championship. But there are other media players trying to do exactly the same thing, and apparently paying a much higher price for the privilege.

Taking an example from the UK, Sky Sports is the sole rights holder for live coverage of every F1 race. To do that, the company is said to pay approximately £200m a season. In return, it can screen every session, broadcast from the paddock and interview the key figures. But as good as its feature segments are (and when not over-doing the bonhomie, they are), they aren't a patch on the scenes Netflix can show.

Yes, of course, one company is there to show a live sporting event, and the other can construct its offerings over many months before releasing at a set date. But it has already been suggested that tensions are starting to rise regarding the level of access Netflix is granted for the price it pays - said to be 10 times less than that of some F1 broadcasters.

On that note, though, there is also said to be an element of understanding from F1's big broadcasters that if Netflix can drive interest in the championship, then they stand to benefit from increased income if fans go on to watch their programmes and, in Sky's case, buy their products and channels.

But Netflix is also a subscription service - albeit a much cheaper one compared to purchasing Sky Sports. It's not the free-to-air model that many UK F1 fans would want the championship to include, as it did for so many years.

If F1 is determined to continue the pay TV model that Bernie Ecclestone encouraged, then surely a return to the split offering with a terrestrial channel - used in the UK until the end of 2018 - would satisfy all parties once the current Sky deal expires in 2024.

After all, there's little point in capturing the attention of new fans ahead of the start of a new season, only to lose their interest because there's no easy way to follow the live action.