“Step Up Your Game”: Despite Denny Hamlin’s Alarming Concerns, NASCAR Adopts Naive Strategy in Battle With Arch Rival F1 Triggering Harsh Criticism

Remember when Netflix released Drive to Survive? The show instantly became a hit and revolved around the controversies of the F1 world. NASCAR, however, has been naive in its marketing strategy, losing ground to Formula 1. Denny Hamlin has already blown the warning sirens as now a Former F1 and NASCAR driver asks NASCAR to get out of delusion and step up. Who is the F1 driver and what did he say? Is NASCAR planning something?

Liberty Media’s takeover of F1 came as a boon at the right time. Denny Hamlin has already raised concern regarding the stagnant popularity of the sport and the sparse crowds at the races. The F1 viewership is at an all-time high, with the racing series becoming the fastest-growing sport in the world. The popularity of F1 in America has skyrocketed after the release of the docuseries. As NASCAR rejects to make an F1-like docuseries of their own despite having huge potential and content, Daniil Kvyat suggests NASCAR up their game.

In an attempt to increase NASCAR’s popularity globally, Former F1 driver, Daniil Kvyat, suggested NASCAR take F1 like approach and start a docuseries of their own. The Russian suggested that since it’s a US-based series so it won’t be easy, but a TV series can help the cause. He talked about the drama that goes on within NASCAR and suggested how F1 is tightening its grip on the American Market. Kvyat asked NASCAR to step up its game and revolutionize its marketing strategy.

According to the Track Limits podcast, Daniil Kvyat said, “Well it is a US category series so it’s not simple. Maybe a TV series.” The host suggested, “Like Drive to Survive?” Kvyat talking about NASCAR not pouncing on the opportunity replied, “Yeah. There’s a lot of drama there. The top guys, they fight a lot. There are a lot of words being said and I’m surprised they don’t use them to their advantage”

The Russian then explained F1’s grab on the American market and said, “Also when I arrived there, they didn’t use it much to their advantage. I feel like their marketing strategy needs to be reviewed, needs a bit of a revolution. Cause within your state you’re always strong but now F1 is a lot in the USA as well. 3 races, a racing driver, and a team. So you need to step up your game. I think NASCAR is very cool. Just needs a bit more marketing vision.”

Read More: Meme Material George Russell Takes a Page Out of Preachy Lewis Hamilton’s Book to Impart Life Lessons While Explaining His Iconic Pose

NASCAR’s inability to pounce on the opportunity despite Denny Hamlin and other drivers’ criticism is naive. The pinnacle of motorsport is set to take over the American-bred motor series in the next couple of years with the help of Netflix docuseries. However, Drive to Survive has not only helped the sport but also the teams and the drivers making them celebrities in no time. The Mercedes CEO was one who benefitted a lot from it.

Drive to Survive helped Toto Wolff become a billionaire

Toto Wolff’s meteoric rise to be featured on the Forbes Sports Billionaire list of 2023 is magical. The Austrian shares a spot with the greats like Tiger Woods. While the majority of the credit needs to be given to Toto for making brilliant investments, Netflix’s DTS also needs to be given credit for making him a star overnight. The docuseries have helped the F1 team secure more sponsorships and increase revenue exponentially.

As a result, Toto Wolff, who now owns 33% of the Mercedes AMG F1 team, benefitted from it. The launch of Drive to Survive and its popularity coincided with Mercedes’ dominance of the Grid. Mercedes and Ferrari are the highest-paid teams by Netflix. A conclusion all this means that Toto Wolff’s investment increased by a third of what the Mercedes AMG F1 team increased. All thanks to Liberty Media and Netflix.

Watch this Story: How Fast Can F1 Cars Go? Comparisons With MotoGP, IndyCAR, NASCAR and Formula E

What do you think of Daniil Kvyat wanting NASCAR to make an F1-like series?