The Formula 1 season kicks off next weekend in Bahrain where preseason testing just concluded.
F1 has long enjoyed vast global popularity, though not until recently in the United States. Burgeoning interest in the sport in this country owes much to the highly rated Netflix series “Drive to Survive,” which dropped Season 5 last week. F1's exponential growth in the U.S is often for better but sometimes for worse. Miami debuted a race on the circuit last season and Las Vegas will host a midnight event on the Strip this year.
“Drive to Survive” is excellent television with superb production values. The drama is powerfully underscored, of course, by the ever-present reminder that drivers are constantly risking their lives.
Neither golf nor tennis possess the life-threatening drama of F1 racing. This has not deterred Netflix from debuting two new, comparable series focused on the PGA Tour and professional tennis, respectively entitled “Full Swing” and “Break Point.”
The two shows are pretty good. They’re certainly not as entertaining as “Drive to Survive,” though the fact that “Break Point” also features female competitors helps. It’s clear that Netflix just doesn’t consider the W Series and LPGA to be of sufficient interest.
The Ringer’s F1 show this week focuses on “Drive to Survive.” F1 analyst and host Megan Schuster speaks with reality TV reporter Jodi Walker in an enjoyable adjunct to the series. Check out the pod at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ringer-f1-show/id1613810815?i=1000601553423
