“The primary goal of Netflix is to entertain and bring new viewers to F1”- McLaren boss ok with Netflix’s creative liberty

“The primary goal of Netflix is to entertain and bring new viewers to F1”- McLaren boss understands why Netflix is sensationalizing things.

Netflix’s Drive to Survive is notorious for exaggerating things on the grid, as it showed several instances and battles in the latest season, which are not as intense in reality.

However, McLaren boss Zak Brown is not bothered by Netflix’s creative mileage, as it is doing its primary job- bringing in new fans for the sport.

“I think Netflix has been great for F1,” said Brown ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. “It’s been trending number one. I think it was number one in 25 countries.”

“So I think the primary goal of Netflix is to entertain and bring new viewers to F1. And I think it’s accomplished that tenfold, which is great,” he added.

Brown then advises that the Netflix show shall be treated as a fictional movie, as he gives an example of Top Gun, where it had its own set of unrealistic scenes.

“[Look at] Top Gun,” he said. “You watch it, and I’m sure every fighter pilot went; you can’t do that in a jet. But it was a great movie.

F1 diehards expecting to find anything new in Drive to Survive is like reading the Lord of the Ring books and expecting the movies to have the same depth.

The series is perfectly tailored to people who don’t watch every F1 race or read Autosport 5x a day.

— David Perel (@davidperel) March 21, 2021

We are supportive of Netflix.

Brown also clarified that everything is fine between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, as Netflix tried to portray friction between the two drivers, even though they had a different image in front of the fans.

“So, of course, all of us living in the sport know that Carlos and Lando had a great relationship, and there wasn’t the kind of tension portrayed there.”

“Any time you get into a television show, they’re going to create some entertainment that we all within the paddock know; maybe it wasn’t quite like that.”

“But I think that’s okay, and I think what’s most important is it has done some wonderful things to bring in new fans around the world. So we’re very supportive of Netflix and what they’re trying to accomplish, even if they take a little bit of creative licence here and there.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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