Since its release in 2019, Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” has been “credited with everything from helping F1 crack the U.S. to rejuvenating the sport itself,” but the reality is that the show’s impact on F1 viewer figures “has been smaller than headlines suggest,” according to Chris Hawes of CNBC.com. While it might have been Netflix that “helped to introduce this diverse new audience to F1,” it is “content creators who have taken the wheel.” A study released by Buzz Radar at the end of 2023 found that people were “now far more likely" to find out about F1 through social media (22%) or their family (21%) than through "Drive to Survive" (14%). F1 owner Liberty Media has “lent into this growth, relaxing the notoriously strict licensing rules that once stopped drivers posting photos from the paddock on their own social media.” F1 teams have also “become content creators in their own right.” Hawes notes finding new ways to “engage fans across different social platforms will be crucial to the sport’s growth in global markets.” While significant, Netflix’s reach “is concentrated in a handful of countries.” To shift into new territories, F1 is “aligning its social media strategy with its global calendar” (CNBC.com, 4/30).
