Having Netflix cameras is now the most natural thing in the world in Formula 1. But in the early days of the ‘Drive to Survive’ documentary, this was different. Male drivers weren’t entirely happy with the streaming giant’s constantly rotating cameras.

When the series started in 2018, drivers were quite hesitant. We now know what the Netflix crew is up to. The series has been a huge hit for years and thanks in part to Netflix, the sport has grown exponentially in popularity. Especially in the United States a lot of new fans have been added.

The final result

Nico Hulkenberg was active in sports in 2018, thus he was one of the first to hook up with Netflix. In his LinkedIn column, he describes the early days: “I can remember the production of the first Drive to Survive season very well. At first we thought: Netflix in Formula 1? What are they doing here? During our first meetings with From the film crews, we as drivers had no idea what they wanted from us. We had no idea what the end result would be.”

doubt

In the end, Hulkenberg also allowed cameras and still stands behind that choice to this day. He was clear about this in his column: “After some skepticism, I finally agreed. In retrospect, I don’t regret at all. Through the documentary, many new fans understood the fascination with this sport for the first time. They learned more about political games and the hard work of the teams.” And the kind of high-performance circus that the sport really is.”