Drive to Survive’s role in uplifting F1—and, in some ways, saving it—cannot be overstated. It brought in several new fans, increased team valuations, and elevated the sport’s spectacle to unprecedented heights. However, what many don’t know is that the producers initially had a very different vision.
For six years, the show has taken fans on a behind-the-scenes journey, showcasing the lives of drivers, team principals, and the inner workings of each team. Executive producer James Gay-Rees, however, originally wanted to focus solely on Red Bull.
On The Paddock Project podcast, he recalled visiting London, where he met with Red Bull’s marketing team. Soon, they began working on a documentary centered around the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
A “bushy-eyebrowed” man from Liberty Media put a stop to that and pushed Gay-Rees toward something far more revolutionary.
That man was Sean Bratches, and Gay-Rees spoke highly of him. “I’m really fond of him… He’s left now, actually, but he’s such a great guy.” It was Bratches who told the 58-year-old he was wasting his time by focusing on just one team.
“I’m not going to do that, but we are talking to Netflix about making a show centered around the entire sport. Would you be interested?” Gay-Rees recalled him saying. “I was like, yeah, yeah totally.”
From there, the idea of Drive to Survive was born—and what a hit the show became. Never before had a single docuseries taken a sport’s popularity to such heights, and soon others took notice.
Producers quickly began working on Break Point, a series dedicated to tennis, and Full Swing, which focused on golf. However, none managed to replicate the impact of Drive to Survive.
How Red Bull reacted to Drive to Survive?
Of course, every F1 team would love to be the center of attention. Had Gay-Rees managed to get the Red Bull series off the ground, the Milton Keynes-based outfit could have become significantly more popular than its rivals.
So, when the host of the podcast asked the producer whether Red Bull was ‘miffed’ at the idea of the original plan getting scrapped, he replied, “No listen, I think they’re still front and center of the series pretty much…. I’m still very close to the Red Bull people, so it’s great.”
Admittedly, Red Bull benefitted immensely from Drive to Survive.
F1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE SEASON 7 TRAILER
Pull up for the new season on March 7. pic.twitter.com/Sv0WYN304j
— Netflix (@netflix) February 28, 2025
The very first episode of the show revolved around Daniel Ricciardo — Red Bull’s star driver at the time — and from then on the team’s stories became a focal point. Team Principal Christian Horner also gained significant fame through the series.
If there was one person in the team who disliked the attention, it was Max Verstappen. He wasn’t a fan of the added drama created by the producers and even sat out two seasons, refusing to give interviews before returning in Season 6. Season 7 of the show is set to release on Friday, March 7, just a week before the 2025 F1 season kicks off.
