$400 Million Worth Reese Witherspoon Writes A Check As F1 Academy Gets Drive to Survive Treatment

Drive to Survive was released on Netflix back in 2019, and quickly became a blockbuster worldwide. The superhit Netflix docuseries that covered the lives of F1 teams and drivers over the course of a season contributed to the sport’s massive growth in popularity and now, F1 also wants to release a similar show for their female talents, so that they get the recognition they deserve.

F1 has been trying to help female drivers grow in motorsports over the last few years and this year, we have the inaugural season of the F1 Academy where 15 talented female drivers are competing for the world championship. In order to increase the popularity and interest in this series, F1 is producing a ‘Drive to Survive’ type docuseries, which will follow the lives of these women in the world of racing.

One of the executive producers of the show will be Reese Witherspoon, who is worth $400 million. The Hollywood actress founded a media company named ‘Hello Sunshine’ which focuses immensely on women’s empowerment. The name of the show and its streaming platform hasn’t been decided yet but as per reports, the format of the show will be very similar to Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’.

Susie Wolff draws in praise for F1 Academy initiative

Mercedes F1 team’s CEO Toto Wolff’s wife Susie Wolff was appointed as the Managing Director of the series ahead of the start of the campaign, and she has done a tremendous job so far. Hello Sunshine’s Executive Producer Sara Rea, who will be a part of the show’s production, hailed Wolff for her work so far.

“These drivers are dynamic, inspiring, and competitive, and Susie Wolff, their leader, is a force of nature in the best possible way,” Sara Rea said as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Currently, we are in the middle of the first-ever F1 Academy season and there are seven races set to take place with the first round already in the history books. The season finale is set to take place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on 22nd October which will coincide with the US Grand Prix.

Will F1 Academy series have similar effect as Drive to Survive?

Drive to Survive revolutionized F1 as we know it. The sport became tremendously popular overnight, and with five seasons already available on Netflix, the fanbase of F1 keeps growing every single year. The organizers of F1 Academy feel that a similar effect could help the series grow, as they draw in more eyeballs from around the globe.

It might take some more time for F1 Academy to grow, as fans need to get familiar with the stars who are competing but with some of the most talented drivers in the world are a part of this series, and along with help from producers with Witherspoon, the series will surely get more popular.

The first race of this year’s F1 Academy took place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and out of the three races taking place that weekend, Spaniard Marta Garcia won two with Emirati driver Amna Al Qubaisi winning the other.