Service: Netflix
Show Title: “Drive to Survive”
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“Drive to Survive” is a yearly show which airs on Netflix. Each season is 10 episodes long, and takes an in-depth look at the previous Formula 1 racing season, taking viewers behind the scenes of the world’s largest racing entity. 

The whole point of the show is and has always been to give fans a look beyond the surface-level bi-weekly races, and to say it has done that to its extreme is an understatement. 

Chiefly produced by James Gay-Reese, the same man that produced the hit film “Senna” — another F1 based film, the show offers viewers the nitty gritty aspects that occur between races and teammates. 

When it was released, the original season immediately sunk its teeth into the American market, which was the initial goal. It is a goal that the producers and the F1 fandom has always sought to achieve. So much in fact, this past year, F1’s yearly race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, was sold out, prompting F1 to announce another race in the U.S. in Miami, Florida. 

What sets the show apart, though, is the raw, visceral emotion that it portrays from the sport’s biggest names. Lewis Hamilton is a fan favorite on the circuit. He has won more races than any other driver in F1 history. He also has a few more years ahead of him. 

The thing fans have missed from Hamilton, until “Drive to Survive” released, is his human aspect. Hamilton is not this robot that is programmed to win races. He is human, just like the rest of us, and nothing showcased that better than his struggles within his own team that aired on “Drive to Survive.”

McClaren Racing Team president Zak Brown, who stars on the show, offered his thoughts on exactly how the show has impacted the fan base in an interview with Luke Smith for the New York Times. 

“I think it’s going to be the single most important impact for Formula 1 in North America,” Brown said. “Almost every comment you get from someone out of the U.S., they reference ‘Drive to Survive’ … People are going from ‘I’ve never watched a Formula 1 race in my life’ to ‘I’ll never miss a Formula 1 race again.'”

Currently, “Drive to Survive” has three seasons on Netflix, with the fourth coming out later this year documenting one of the most controversial endings to a season in recent memory. The season premiere drops on March 11, and can be found across the U.S. on Netflix. 

Overall, I love “Drive to Survive.” It takes athletes that are viewed as almost robotic in their habits and practices and shows the raw, uncut emotion and drama that can only be found at the pinnacle of motorsport. I give “Drive to Survive” a 9/10 rating, only because a 10/10 is too good to be true.