F1 wants to get all 10 teams "on board" for the second edition of Netflix series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive", which is currently "in the planning stages." For the first series, which launched worldwide on Friday, only eight teams were "fully involved," with Ferrari and Mercedes "opting out." F1 Managing Dir Ross Brawn believes that "all teams will come to understand the value of being involved in such promotional activities" (AUTOSPORT, 3/8).
For the past 12 months, a documentary film crew had "unprecedented access" to eight of the 10 teams. The release of "Drive to Survive" was timed as a "precursor" to the '19 season, and "it doesn't disappoint." The whole show "has a cinematic-style that looks beautiful and is worth hooking up to surround-sound speakers" (AUTOSPORT, 3/7). The series "will not prove particularly revelatory to serious fans." In terms of "enticing" casual viewers and "perhaps converting them," though, F1 has a "fine" appetizer for the upcoming season" (London GUARDIAN, 3/7). While some of the footage is "superb and captivating," it is the "real people" who work with the "state-of-the-art racing machines" who "steal the show." "Drive to Survive" is the sport "as raw as you have ever seen it" (ESPN.com, 3/8).
