Here's My Reasons Why You Should Watch Netflix's Formula 1 Documentary Series (ONTD Original)
Click to view- As we reflect in the last year and scroll endlessly through streaming interfaces while claiming to be working from home, there's one show that even if you don't like sports, you'll love this series. Netflix is currently in the post-production phase of their most recent season of the documentary series called Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Please do not refer to Formula 1 as European Nascar, my heart will hurt. In short, Drive to Survive is the season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills we deserve, here's why.
1. The money (obviously)... yeah, yeah, eat the rich let's get that out of the way. One of the most intriguing parts about the show is learning how financing a team, car, and drivers work. It's lots of money for some teams and not as much for others which plays a large hand into who wins the races. It's not simply the agility of the athlete. Also many of these drivers come from some very privileged families where racing/karting is an expensive sport to take up, so already the playing field is very narrow to enter.
2. There's some eye candy. Well, OP prefers the older, richer, team principals but some of the drivers are adorable.
ie. the very adorable Charles Leclerc and his phenomenal eyebrows.
3. Your teammate just so happens to be your biggest rival. So in Formula 1 the top echelon of Motorsport, there are only ten teams each with two drivers. And your tenure on the team needs to bring in victories and money and if you can bring in more than the other, well your teammate may just be out of the race altogether and brings a lot of expected drama.
4. A Spice Girl makes an appearance! (Not for long, so don't watch because of that.)
5. Since the two dominant teams Mercedes-AMG Petronas and Scuderia Ferrari blockedT Neftlix on the first season and told them they couldn't film, all the references made to them in the first season adds mystery of who the lower tiered teams are trying to chase.
6. If you're a broke American like myself, you can travel vicariously through the sport. The season begins in March and goes to December taking us to places like UK, Monaco, Italy, etc.
7. Despite the money, the elitism in the nature of the sport - there is some really great universal moments like working hard, but feeling under appreciated, navigating a working relationship, having poor results taking a toll on confidence.
8. Seeing Carlos Sainz, Jr. go to a grocery store in the UK is stupidly wholesome.
9. You get the see some of the most advanced automotive engineering at work. Though the specifics of the building of the cars is not really focused on, you do see some technical aspects as each team competes for a Constructor's Championship (which car wins essentially) and for that, you need a spectacular driver and a specular car.
10. Men being hella catty and petty and emotional is always great to watch.
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As a lover of sports documentaries, I'm so happy I started watching this series. I'm now kind of obsessed with Formula 1 and with contracts expiring, new financial regulations, and so many driver and staff lineup changes, Ferrari's cheating scandal, this third season will be a hot mess. Let the three of us discuss!