“It’s Like Kardashians on Wheels”: Christian Horner Talks About What Led To Formula 1’s Popularity in The United States

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has given an interesting take on how Netflix’s Drive to Survive has helped increase Formula 1’s fanbase to an American and a younger audience.

The 49-year-old believes that Drive to Survive has done an outstanding job explaining the sport and making it dramatic to appeal to a newer audience.

The same was evident in season 5 of Drive to Survive, which showcased interesting heated exchanges between Horner and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff that took place behind the scenes.

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Horner explains how Drive to Survive increased F1’s popularity

When asked on Bloomberg how the recent sponsorship deals have helped increase F1’s popularity, Christian Horner replied that the sport had witnessed massive growth recently.

He stated that something like a Drive to Survive had attracted a whole new audience. The 49-year-old believes that F1 now has a younger and also American audience.

Horner added that out of the 25 new partners that F1 introduced in the last 3 years, 21 are US based, and three were also in the Fortune 500. The Briton ended his remarks by explaining what has been the unique selling point of Drive to Survive.

“Drive to Survive has done a great job of explaining the sport. It has shown some of the characters and also some of the conversations that go on behind the scenes. So it is a bit like Kardashians on wheels at times, he concluded.”

Christian Horner has an epic heated exchange with Toto Wolff

Amongst all the interesting clips of Drive to Survive season 5, perhaps one of the most entertaining was the heated exchange between Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

In the second episode of the docuseries,  Bounce Back. The spotlight fell on the team principals of all sides to discuss the porpoising issue. While all teams suffered this issue in some capacity last season, Mercedes found it extremely difficult to cope with it. Hence, during the meeting, Wolff accused Horner and the other team principals of playing a ‘dangerous game.’

The Mercedes team principal threatened them by stating that he would come after them if any of the drivers were to have an accident. At this point, Horner had enough and replied, “If you have got a problem, change your ****ing car.”

The two then had a back-and-forth, following which F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali decided it best to discuss the issue later.

Also Read: Ayrton Senna Never Wished To Survive A Tragic F1 Crash