Showrunner Sophie Todd
Runtime: 10 episodes, 35-50 minutes each
Season 3 debuts on Netflix March 19

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, The Red Herring

“It’s marvelous to go very fast!”
–Tina (Françoise Hardy), Grand Prix (dir. John Frankenheimer, 1966)

I have written of my love for auto racing previously, including some films that capture what makes this kind of sport so exciting, but I must give credit to this Netflix documentary series for rekindling my love for it. When the first season debuted in March of 2019, I had never seen a Formula 1 race in full (most of my prior fandom was oriented towards NASCAR). By the time I finished all 10 episodes of the first season, I was a fan, ready to start watching races live. That is why this series exists, of course, to try to bring more fans into Formula 1, especially Americans. 

One of the reasons it is so effective in this purpose is that the access that showrunner Sophie Todd and her crew have been afforded. This means that the entire series is filled with amazing footage, both from races and behind the scenes. You don’t need a ton of knowledge to watch a race and follow the winner, but getting to know the drivers and teams heightens the drama of each race. This can be especially important since there are usually a few Formula 1 races each season where the person leading at the start of the race continues to be in front until the end. 

Each season of Drive to Survive acts as a recap of the previous year’s Formula 1 season. Though mostly told in chronological order, each episode generally follows one or two teams/storylines, bringing their particulars into focus. Season 3 deals with the additional challenges brought to the sport by way of COVID-19. The first race of the 2020 season was cancelled mere hours before it was to begin, and then the sport shut down from March until July due to the pandemic. The first episode of this season shows the early stages of the pandemic up to that cancellation, and watching events of a year ago unfold on screen–a mix of memories and knowing what is to follow–gives it an eerie quality. 

As a whole, this season emphasizes the nature of relationships within the sport. When focusing on Mercedes, the top team in the sport for the last few years, Drive to Survive doesn’t spend too much time with Lewis Hamilton, on his way to a record-tying 7th World Championship. Instead, it gives the spotlight to Valteri Bottas and explores what it is like to be teammates with such a figure. Bottas is one of the most successful drivers in the sport right now, often coming in second or third behind Hamilton. But is he a success by his own measure? Similarly, after Daniel Ricciardo announces he is leaving his team for another the following year, how does that change his performance on the track? 

Another main emphasis is exploring Formula 1 as a business. Each team (there are 10 total) is a separate business, and there are a ton of decisions that go into running that business. From those personal relationships, to the need for racing to continue in order for these businesses to survive COVID-19. Sponsorships, the cash disparity between the teams, and the sometimes obscene amounts of wealth on display are all part of what Drive to Survive pulls into focus. 

It is unclear how tightly the FIA (Formula 1’s governing body) controls the narrative or the footage the filmmakers are able to capture and place into the series–something to keep in mind about documentaries that have the participation of their subjects, and doubly so when those subjects are corporations. But Drive to Survive feels much less censored than the television coverage throughout the season, and is definitely able to capture some feelings and actions because the subjects know it will all be in the past by the time it comes to light. 

The goal of the series, from a creative standpoint, seems to be connecting what happens off the track to how the teams perform on the track during the season. In that regard, it is very successful, and makes the race footage mean more than just a dry recap of the previous year’s events. This season does that through a few different approaches in how it edits the program together. Focusing on one or two stories at a time, it offers a window into a sport that can seem complicated and intimidating to outsiders. 

For more on Drive to Survive, Ian Kimble and I will be recapping the episodes on our MovieJawn Podcast Network show, FYeah F1, starting this Friday. Find the episodes here on MovieJawn or look us up wherever you listen to your podcasts.