Netflix has aired seven seasons of Drive to Survive, successfully attracting a new audience to international motorsport. However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Jeremy Clarkson, renowned for hosting BBC’s Top Gear and Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour, recently expressed his criticisms in a column for The Sun, lamenting that the show diminishes the real drama of the sport.
In his column, titled “F1 used to be all cash, supermodels and private jets but now drivers are stuck in slow lane — and I know who to blame,” Clarkson highlights the overwhelming media presence surrounding Formula One. He comments, “You spend three hours a week driving your car and three hundred hours being interviewed by every damn herbert with an iPhone” (via Deadline.com). He notes that drivers are constantly interviewed, whether on the way to the track or after races, claiming it’s incessant. “If you finish in the top three, it’s worse because then you are interviewed after the race before being put in a room with the other podium-finishers. And then there are more interviews,” he adds.
Clarkson argues that Drive to Survive has drained some of the spontaneity from post-race interactions among drivers. He points to a moment after the recent Australian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso appeared hesitant to express their opinions due to the presence of the Drive to Survive cameras. “In the early days, we were regularly treated to hissed altercations, as people didn’t realize they were being recorded. Now, whenever anyone sees a Netflix microphone, they go into PR mode,” he remarked.
Despite Clarkson’s criticisms, Drive to Survive has generated significant streaming numbers for Netflix and has also inspired spin-off series like Full Swing, focusing on professional golfers, and Break Point revolving around Grand Slam tennis. While Break Point was canceled in 2024 after two seasons, Full Swing Season 3 debuted in February.
