Formula One is on the rise, who do we have to thank?

With Formula One on the incline and Drive to Survive bringing in flocks of fans, who do we have to thank? Members from the Mercedes Formula One Team and fans of the sport share their thoughts on who they think it is.

Formula One, the king of the motorsport world. Racing at 200mph in misshaped circles, these cars are prime entertainment for everyone across the globe.

Debuting in 1946 Formula One has had a multitude of fans throughout its years. From fanatical diehards who have watched every race, to those who have watched the drama through the eyes of the Netflix show Drive to Survive.

It has always been a popular sport but as of recent times the spike in viewership and popularity has increased; with the use of new media it has been able to flourish in a way it couldn’t in the past.

According to Statista, in 2017, 352.3 million people across the world tuned in to watch Formula One on their TVs; after the release of Drive to Survive in 2019 it increased dramatically to 471 million viewers.

The growth of the sport is evident in the number of people switching on their televisions because of the interest they took in the series but what do people that are trackside think the reason for its rise is?

Stuart Green, the Number One Mechanic for George Russell said he thinks “a big part of it would be to do with the owner of Formula one.” In 2017 Liberty Media bought Formula One, the former owner being Bernie Ecclestone, “who used to keep social media to a minimum and run it more as a, for use of a better term, gentleman’s club.” He went on to talk about the impact Drive to Survive has had saying that “it has created more fans.”

The Strategic Communications Director for Mercedes Formula One Team, Bradley Lord, talked about how Liberty Media developed a “marketing strategy” to turn it into a “cutting edge, world class, sort of global sport” and that “Drive to Survive was a part of that”. Liberty Media took a more accessible route to “not just own this sport and earn money from it but grow it” and so far, their strategy has worked.

With viewing numbers on the increase and people who weren’t interested in it becoming a part of the sports “fanatic fanbase”, learning more and more about the sport as they continue to watch it, Formula One has become an obsession to many.

Lord associated it with “peeling wrapping paper off a Christmas present” in which it accurately defines the sport. People start off by watching the series on Netflix and quickly get dragged into the drama of it, but eventually it becomes a deeper interest and people start to take notice of the sporting side of it rather than the social side.

Though the show has done wonders for the sport it is still disliked by many. According to The South African, fans and drivers alike have complained about the inaccuracy and drama the show created within the sport, though Lord explained that “Drive To Survive is not a documentary, it is a story that you tell using some of the facts of the season.”

Hannah Stapley, a long-time supporter of the sport and content creator, used social media as a way “to get back into the sport” after losing interest at a young age, her reasoning “if it’s not popular you don’t want to watch it anymore.” She saw creators making videos so tried it herself and rekindled her passion in doing so.

Even though the sport can be seen as elitists, advertising for the rich and wealthy, with the help of many factors Formula One has managed to expand its audience and grow a diverse fanbase, one major factor we can thank is Drive to Survive.

©Lucy Roberts 2023