“No way anybody was thinking: ‘Will this play well on Netflix?'”– DTS producer says F1 doesn’t run for Netflix

DTS giving immense success to F1 made several critics question whether some controversial decisions were made to add more content.

Netflix’s drive to survive became an immediate success when it was released on Netflix back in 2019. The release of the docuseries has only increased the popularity by multi-folds.

The success of the series is so prominent that it is already in its season four, and speculation of season five are already on. The 2021 F1 season was highly controversial, with Abu Dhabi GP its biggest talking point.

Thus, it made some fans question whether F1 focuses on Netflix content by sacrificing the sports’ integrity. Reacting to this accusation, James Gay-Rees, one of the producers of DTS, claimed that no way F1 runs for Netflix.

“It’s just people under enormous pressure making decisions in the moment. There’s no way anybody was thinking: ‘Will this play well on Netflix?'” said Gay-Rees to BBC.

Let’s remember the best moment from Drive To Survive pic.twitter.com/ixyEVmFdec

— Naca ⁵ (@F1ToRuleThemAll) March 3, 2022

Also read: F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits that blockbuster Netflix series Drive to Survive may not continue in the coming years

The dissatisfaction around DTS

While F1 deliberating content to Netflix can be called a stretch, there is a general resentment among drivers and teams that the show by the streaming platform is highly exaggerated and uses comments by stakeholders to spin the narrative.

“They create a spin to the narrative,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. They put scenes together that didn’t happen. I guess you’d say as an insider: ‘Well, that’s different than how it was.’ But we’re creating entertainment, and that is a new dimension of entertainment.”

One of the biggest blows to DTS last year was when current world champion Max Verstappen refused to participate. The Dutchman said he wouldn’t be sitting in for the interviews by the shows as he was unhappy with their content.

For him, the show creates fake rivalry and tampers with the characters of the drivers. But Gay-Rees defending his show claims that one can’t point at a single misrepresentation.

“It’s a headline that everybody’s jumped on, but I think it’s a very subtle thing. Nobody could point to any misrepresentations or inaccuracies in the series,” he said.

DTS has been a boon for F1. It helped them penetrate the markets in which they struggled to make a significant mark for long. But for how long Netflix will cling on with F1 is a question itself.

Because at some point, the content will not fascinate the current fans. The modification in approach can be a solution to keep fans hooked to the following seasons.

Also read: Lando Norris reveals his role in the new season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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