Will Buxton and his obvious statements on Netflix’s Drive to Survive annoyed and amused oh so many fans when the show first aired in 2019. The F1TV journalist — who was one of the experts in the docuseries — would say things like, “The race is the most important part of the Formula 1 weekend”, which he admitted earlier this week, was annoying.
However, Buxton asked the viewers to look from a different lens. He highlighted the importance Drive to Survive (DTS) had on F1’s overall growth, and outlined the objective that its producers had — get news fans to watch the sport.
Buxton highlighted an interesting statistic — one in three fans today started watching F1 less than five years ago, which is when DTS premiered. This isn’t just a coincidence, but a result of masterful production and storytelling that got a horde of new viewers into F1.
In Formula 1… if you finish in 1st position… [dramatic pause] …you will win the race
– Will Buxton, Drive to Survive, probably pic.twitter.com/p2PjsyMxjO
— Battery Voltas (@BatteryVoltas) March 12, 2022
“I know it’s annoying that I say some basic things on the show, but you’re trying to bring in these new people at the same time,” he said on the Road to Success podcast.
Buxton’s F1 lessons worked wonders, as F1’s popularity skyrocketed. Yes, most of the community already knew that a driver starting on the pole started the race ahead of 19 other drivers, but because Buxton made it obvious, the ones who were oblivious to how racing worked, had their interest piqued.
Buxton has been a part of all six seasons of Drive to Survive to date, and has become immensely popular because of it. He is one of the most recognizable journalists on the paddock today, and continues to contribute to the media aspect of F1, largely.
