Why Netflix isn't the sole reason behind F1's modern-day boom

The pent-up demand from Formula 1 fans after the many behind-closed-doors grands prix that took place during the coronavirus pandemic was always going to result in a quick bounce back in race attendance figures. But even the most optimistic of F1 chiefs would not have predicted just how much interest there would be among the audience to get themselves trackside.

The Australian Grand Prix’s record-breaking figures of 420,000 for the weekend put it among the biggest-ever F1 races – and up on the 400,000 from Austin and 356,000 at Silverstone last year. But it seems Melbourne is not going to be alone in packing out the rafters this season. Getting hold of tickets for race days is proving a headache for those who have not got in early, and some events have been instant sell-outs.

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Singapore’s tickets were snapped up almost as if it was a major music festival, while the British GP is already looking at increasing attendance after selling out race day in the quickest time ever. With Max Verstappen’s travelling orange army snapping up tickets around mainland Europe, F1 has all the ingredients to tee up its biggest ever spectator numbers in 2022.

The upswing is impressive for an event that has increasingly put itself behind a paywall, and taken the inevitable hit in TV audiences in exchange for the greater cash and marketing exposure it gets in return.

But the change in the way generations want to watch sport and, more importantly, how sponsors want to get their message across to target audiences, means F1 no longer needs to rely on being thrown out for free on Sunday afternoon television to ensure it maintains visibility. Now, the depth by which F1 is covered on the internet and social media, means fans can follow it as much or as little as they want. There has never been greater coverage of every aspect of grand prix weekends as there is right now.

One of the narratives that has emerged amid the spike in interest is that the upswing – especially among younger audiences and females – is a result of the Netflix: Drive to Survive series.

The large Australian GP crowd floods the circuit at the end of the race for the podium celebrations

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

The take is that the ‘Netflix effect’ has been the driving force for taking F1 into the homes of a new generation of fans, who have then followed through by picking up further interest in the championship as the season progresses.

You certainly cannot argue against the fact Netflix's impact has been impressive. It has done an incredible job at getting a lot of the series’ viewers across the line - wanting to pick up their phones, turn on their laptops or tune in their televisions on GP weekends.

But it would be a mistake to think that Netflix has been the ‘silver bullet’ answer explaining why F1 has taken off with the younger fans – for there are other much more critical factors at play. Most obviously - and much more important than anything Netflix does - is that F1’s growth in fans, and its ability to keep them coming back for more, has been triggered by good racing.

Liberty Media was clear from the moment it took over F1 that the product on a Sunday afternoon needs to deliver if fans are going to return for more, which is why it put such an effort into a complete overhaul of the rules for this season.

The change in the way generations want to watch sport means F1 no longer needs to rely on being thrown out for free on Sunday afternoon television to ensure it maintains visibility

Keeping the old way of doing things in F1, of unlimited budgets, free development, and cars that could not race, was only going to end up in a dead-end street where grands prix would only be won by one or two teams and the stale spectacle would struggle to keep people interested.

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The current cost cap, aero testing restrictions, a better distribution of prize money and ground-effect cars are all designed to ensure that things close up and there are a wider variety of winners. Sport needs to have a level of unpredictability and tribalism among its followers if it is to be successful: and that is exactly what F1 has been delivering in spades in recent seasons.

Lewis Hamilton versus Verstappen in 2021 was unmissable box office; this year, Ferrari versus Red Bull looks to be just as enticing a prospect – especially with a side story on how quickly Mercedes can recover.

Ferrari's upturn in form has helped maintain fan interest

Photo by: Ferrari

Liberty is well aware that all the good that Netflix has done, in getting a new audience to want to tune in live, would be wasted if Sunday afternoons were a two-hour procession with the same winner each time. Netflix’s contribution must therefore be put into context as not being an isolated trigger for an upswing in interest, but as part of a wider mindset change for the category.

Drive to Survive’s very existence is actually correlation for a new approach for fans under Liberty Media, rather than the cause. After years where Bernie Ecclestone kept a tight grip on controlling moving image rights, and being supremely sceptical of social media, everything changed when Liberty Media got its feet under the desk.

Social media channels opened up; fans could get their fix of videos on YouTube and Twitter, teams were given more freedom to post content, and the game-changing idea of Drive to Survive was allowed to happen. Netflix is therefore part of this wave of new attitudes that broadened F1’s horizons and delivered exactly what a new generation of fans wanted.

Some fans are happy enough to only follow the social media channels of their favourite drivers, some will want to dig deep into the tech developments up and down the pitlane, and some will religiously watch every moment of track action. But in building this fanbase of many different touch points, with a product that keeps delivering a good spectacle on Sundays, there is more chance of getting more fans to make that step and go to races.

The music industry was once sceptical about streaming music services (including YouTube), feeling that there was little commercial benefit to be had for effectively giving away their product for minimal financial return. But the industry quickly found out that one of the consequences of wider access to its artists from fans was that live gigs became so much more popular – and have now evolved to be a bigger driver for financial returns than ever before.

F1 seems to be witnessing the same process in action. When Ecclestone famously said many years ago that F1 wasn’t too interested in the younger generation because they could not afford Rolex watches, it was the epitome of an exclusive sport. Now, through the change in attitudes that helped spawn the ‘Netflix effect’, F1 has moved to become more inclusive. And, judging by the sell-outs, it is reaping the rewards of doing so.

F1 has already enjoyed some record trackside audiences since pandemic restrictions eased

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images