David Brown

Because this footage isn't for the live broadcast.

It's for a completely new kind of F1 show.

Almost a year later, just days before the start of the 2019 Formula One season, that series drops on Netflix.

It's called Drive to Survive, and it promises to pull back the curtain on the most exclusive sport in the world.

The concept isn't groundbreaking.

Sports documentaries have been around for years, but Drive to Survive offers something unique.

Unlike most sports, a Grand Prix weekend brings every competitor together, all 10 teams, all 20 drivers, every strategist and decision maker.

And that gives the film crew access to the entire F1 ecosystem.

Not everyone is thrilled about the idea.

The top two teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, refuse to participate, worried that allowing cameras in their garages could be a distraction.

But their absence actually helps the show.

With Mercedes and Ferrari missing, the spotlight falls on smaller teams with bigger personalities.

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo quickly becomes a fan favorite.

His laid-back humor and megawatt smile light up the screen as he wrestles with a career-changing decision, whether to stay at Red Bull or leave for a rival team.

Meanwhile, Gunter Steiner, the boss of American-owned team Haas, emerges as an unlikely star, thanks to his brutally honest and frequently profanity-laced assessments of his struggling team.

The combination of high-speed racing and behind-the-scenes human drama proves irresistible.

Drive to Survive becomes a surprise hit.

And then in February, 2020, just as the COVID pandemic begins to spread, the second season arrives.

And with people stuck at home, more people discover the show.

Both men and women are drawn in by the mix of high wire action and juicy interpersonal drama.