There are always two types of athletes in a particular sport and Formula 1 is a good example with unique personalities throughout the paddock. Even though all F1 world champions share many attributes, there are some differences that make them completely unique. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are those two world champions that are poles apart and they showcased that with their opinion on the primary reason behind the Las Vegas GP.

We are all aware of the impact of Netflix’s Drive to Survive on the sport, especially in the American subcontinent. Many would agree when we say the third race in the US, the Las Vegas GP is a direct result of the massive rise in popularity. A future-sighted and business-minded Mercedes man agrees with this aspect of the Drive to Survive as he thanked the show for popularizing his love for the sport.

Lewis Hamilton thanks Drive to Survive for making the sport as popular as it is now

Hamilton and Verstappen, especially since the 2021 season, have not seen eye to eye. This was proved once again when the two commented on the topic of Drive to Survive. Hamilton made his honest admission on the series and its impact while speaking on the CNBC YouTube channel and discussing the “Business of Formula 1”.

Speaking about F1’s increased exposure thanks to Drive to Survive, Hamilton said, “It’s definitely had a big effect for sure. But that’s definitely played a good role and I think the word-of-mouth as well from that from people talking about it within their communities and it’s just spread like wildfire.”

Opposing Verstappen, Hamilton added, “That’s exciting for me because I used to come out here to the States particularly and I would explain what it is I do and having to regurgitate that all the time, it was kind of tiring. I never could understand why people did not love the sport like I’ve grown up to love it.” 

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This is the opinion of the seven-time world champion which is absolutely contrary to what Verstappen feels about Drive to Survive. However, we have known about Verstappen’s opinion on the Netflix series for a while. Although even though he seems to warming up, the general opinion is still the same, and he even has Fernando Alonso on his side.

Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso share the same opinion contrary to Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Las Vegas GP

Drive to Survive has become a recurring conversation in the world of F1 and we can see why. The show has definitely played a crucial part in skyrocketing the sport’s popularity in the US. This is exactly why when the two world champions are asked about how focused they are on the show, they gave a brutally honest reply.

Verstappen quickly said, “No. No. I don’t know, probably I’m a bit more old school in that. I wish social media never existed.” To address the pin-drop silence in the room, Verstappen added, “Freedom of speech, right?”

Alonso also got his opinion out on the topic and said, “Yeah. I’m very focused on the racing and not on this show. I never saw any of this Drive to Survive, even Season 1 or whatever, I never saw any episode. Did you?” 

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So one boycotted the show for a couple of seasons while the other didn’t care enough to watch it. This should tell their honest opinion on the show.