Mercedes & Ferrari Disinterest ‘Shaped’ F1 Drive to Survive to Greater Glory

Netflix’s series Drive to Survive has been revolutionary for the growth of F1. It has helped open doors to a new and younger fanbase across the globe. The show has also helped the sport in getting more fans to the circuit and becoming popular in the USA.

But it was not such a smooth start for the show in 2018 when they first began filming season one. The main Netflix crew was not granted permission to shoot the two main teams, Mercedes and Ferrari. But surprisingly, that helped the show in establishing itself and focusing elsewhere.

DTS showrunner explains how not shooting Mercedes and Ferrari F1 helped them

Cassie Bennitt mentioned that not shooting Mercedes and Ferrari helped to focus on other characters and storylines in the paddock. The showrunner also revealed that there was enough intrigue in the F1 paddock that they could focus elsewhere for the first season.

“What I think is so great about the Formula 1 paddock is it’s a place of intrigue. It’s where deals are done, dreams are made, and dreams are killed off. Going back to season one, we didn’t have access to Ferrari, and we didn’t have access to Mercedes. They didn’t want to take part, that’s very well known,” said Bennitt.

“So that meant the original team had to look elsewhere. And I think that fundamentally helped shape the show. We had to look at other teams. Haas is a classic example of that. Guenther Steiner, his fanbase is absolutely unbelievable. I think even my boyfriend is obsessed with Gunther!”

READ MORE: Why Do Mercedes Dominate F1?

Since then, both Mercedes and Ferrari have become a mainstay in the show. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained the reason why the team opted out of DTS season 1.

Wolff explains why they sat out season 1 of Drive to Survive

The Austrian revealed the main reason they did not take part was that they thought it would be a distraction for them in the championship fight. Mercedes and Ferrari were involved in an intense title fight in 2018.

“The main reason was that I felt that it was a big distraction and could potentially be a distraction, especially also because our main competitor was not doing it,” said Wolff.

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Since the second season of the show, both teams have been front and center of the series. In Season 4, it could be argued that the German team had the most screen time. But it is nice to see that they allowed Netflix in the garages, after all.