When Drive to Survive first dropped on Netflix in 2019, it promised a look behind the high-speed, high-stakes world of Formula One. What it delivered was something even more powerful: a global PR phenomenon that didn’t just document the sport, it redefined it.

Since then, F1 has seen an explosion in viewership, especially in the U.S. Audiences that were once indifferent to motorsport are now obsessively tracking team drama, learning tire strategies and debating radio messages like courtroom transcripts. One cannot overstate the show’s impact on Formula One’s global brand, but the question remains: is Drive to Survive a brilliant PR tool or a case study in strategic narrative manipulation?

Before the Netflix series, F1 was largely dominated by European audiences and a more traditional fan base. The sport was known for its technical prowess, exclusivity, and, to some extent, its opacity. Drive to Survive flipped that script.

Through editing, cliffhanger episode structure and a reality TV tone, the show put human emotion at the forefront. It elevated team principals to household names and reframed drivers as rivalrous protagonists in a season-long soap opera.

From a PR perspective, that’s gold. The series humanizes the sport, amplifies individual personalities, and most importantly, simplifies an otherwise technical discipline into digestible, binge-worthy drama.

For teams willing to play along, Drive to Survive has been a massive asset. McLaren, for instance, leaned into the spotlight during the early seasons, using it to reposition themselves as a youthful, comeback brand with fan-favorite drivers like Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and now Oscar Piastri. Red Bull used the show to reinforce their image.

Even drivers have leveraged their screen time. Daniel Ricciardo’s charisma made him a breakout star of the series, opening doors to U.S. brand deals and global recognition beyond the paddock. PR teams now monitor Drive to Survive edits as closely as race results, because perception is reality in this media age.

Not everyone’s on board. Max Verstappen famously boycotted early seasons of the show, claiming producers manufactured rivalries and misrepresented his personality. “They faked a few rivalries which don’t really exist,” he said in a 2021 interview, a PR headache for a show purporting to show “reality.”

His resistance wasn’t unfounded. The series has been accused of exaggerating drama, misplacing audio for effect, and cutting footage in ways that blur the line between documentary and drama. For some teams, especially those fiercely protective of internal dynamics, this lack of control is a PR liability.

Mercedes and Ferrari initially opted out of Season 1 entirely, only joining after seeing the show’s influence. Even then, their involvement is noticeably more curated than that of smaller teams hungry for exposure.

So what can PR professionals learn from all this?

Narrative matters more than facts. Drive to Survive isn’t about telemetry or lap times; it’s about tension, personalities, and moments. In today’s media landscape, facts alone won’t cut through without emotional resonance.

Access = Opportunity. Teams that opened their garages and their mouths early reaped long-term brand loyalty. Playing the media game requires vulnerability, but the payoff can be massive.

Control is an illusion. Once your story is in someone else’s hands, it’s subject to their spin. That’s a risk every PR team must calculate before stepping into the spotlight.

Drive to Survive didn’t just document Formula One, it transformed it. Whether you see it as a masterclass in storytelling or an exercise in creative license, there’s no denying its impact. For PR teams in any industry, it’s a powerful reminder: the way your story is told can matter just as much as the story itself.