The impact Netflix’s popular F1 docuseries Drive to Survive (DTS) has had on the sport’s popularity is unmatched. Many drivers simply became household names owing to their portrayal. However, Nico Rosberg is not a fan of the perennial series and believes it would have been “horrible” had it started back in 2016 – his title-winning year.
Speaking with City A.M. recently, Rosberg said, as quoted by GP Blog, “That would have been horrible because it would have taken concentration away from me actually winning the championship. That would have been a disaster.”
DTS has not only helped F1 reach a newer audience and get them hooked on the sport, but it has also helped multiply the revenue it generates. As per Nielsen‘s study, the US saw a fan growth of 10 percent since the series debuted on Netflix.
The effect on the broadcasting rights has seen a much bigger spike, though. Disney re-acquired the F1 media rights last fall for 3 years at $255 million. Comparatively, the last contract was worth a meager $5 million per season.
All this, however, did not save the series from being labeled as an overly dramatizing show by the purist fans. Rosberg too, in his onslaught against DTS, called it a “reality TV show”.
That does not change the fact that F1 was in dire straits financially when Rosberg won the championship in 2016 and quickly drew the curtains on his F1 career. Things began to improve as F1 saw a change of hands in management with Liberty Media’s takeover post-2017.
How F1 made a miraculous recovery after Nico Rosberg retired
Towards the end of 2016, Liberty Media bought the controlling rights of the Formula One Group. The regulators approved and finalized the deal in January 2017. This marked the advent of the new F1 era which began shortly after Rosberg’s retirement.
Liberty Media purchased F1’s controlling rights for $4.4 billion. The new management revolutionized the way F1 marketed itself. Drive to Survive was a part of that larger scheme of things that took F1’s valuation through the roof.
To put things into perspective, Liberty Media reportedly received a $20 billion F1 buyout offer. The FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, caused a massive tussle with F1 by dubbing the valuation “inflated” but that does not change the fact that F1’s valuation has grown manifold since the American media giant took over.
While Rosberg criticized DTS for being a potential distraction, he too acknowledged the impact it had on the popularity of several F1 entities. Those, as per the former Mercedes driver, include Guenther Steiner and some other team bosses. DTS fans certainly know who he’s referring to.
