Mercedes boss Wolff slams Netflix's 'Drive to Survive'; says it's making F1 a reality show

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has slammed the Netflix series Drive to Survive by claiming that it is turning the sport into a reality show. While the Netflix show has its critics, it is also one of the key reasons for the increase in popularity of F1 in several countries, especially in North America, a fact Wolff himself has appreciated.

Toto Wolff slams Netflix's Drive to Survive

While speaking to the Financial Times, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said, "It’s athletes in high-performance machines. It’s about life and death, and on top of that we added Keeping Up With The Kardashians." Keeping Up With The Kardashians, a reality show that was launched in 2007, has been the talk for various reasons.

While Wolff was extremely critical about the drama aspect of Netflix's Drive to Survive, he did appreciate the increase in audience the show has brought in from various countries. "In a way, we’ve never reached out to or excited American audiences. Formula 1 is a niche sport – it’s a hi-tech, high-income demographic, highly academic," Wolff explained.

The Australian motorsport boss added, "I thought it would be easier to tap an audience in big cities like New York, but we never really got there. Then Liberty took over, didn’t really move the needle. And then came Netflix, came Covid and people binge. Started watching the gusts. And then all of a sudden we have such great momentum in America that no one expected."

Similarly to Wolff, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen had highlighted his own reservations about Netflix's series last year. While speaking to reporters at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last year, the Dutchman said, "It’s just not my thing. Then of course throughout the whole season, they try to pick moments and fabricate them in a way."