Netflix doco could make the 2023 Australian F1 Grand Prix its biggest yet
The 2023 Australian F1 Grand Prix is set to have the biggest spectator attendance so far thanks to the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, according to Getty Images.
Getty Images & iStock Asia-Pacific head of creative insights Kate Rourke said the docuseries has helped F1 achieve cult status in Australia, shifting its fan base from car enthusiasts to the mainstream.
Formula 1 hits Melbourne today
Citing data from the Grand Prix, Rourke said the F1 saw its attendance figure reach more than 400,000 spectators in 2022 following a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, compared to the usual 300,000. It also said female attendees grew from 24 percent to 38 percent between the 2019 and 2022 Grand Prix.
She also cited a Nielsen study, suggesting F1 is on track to top one billion worldwide fans this year, with under 35-year-olds comprising 77 percent of those fans.
Rourke described Drive to Survive as a docuseries that offered “an unseen look” into the world of F1 drivers, providing a glimpse into their lives and personalities as they compete in the F1 tour around the world.
She said the docuseries helped grow F1’s fan base through high-quality and human-focused video production.
“The dramatised and behind-the-scenes elements make viewers feel a wide range of emotions that drivers experience when they race,” Rourke said.
“By revealing intimate details on their personal lives and journeys, the show helps to create a human connection that makes fans invested in F1 as a sport and as a way of connecting with their sporting heroes, and appeals to a broader audience.”
Other sports brands and marketers have started to replicate Drive to Survive, with new Netflix docuseries about professional tennis (Break Point) and professional golf (Full Swing), as well as a few more from other streaming platforms.
She also provided insights on how to replicate Drive to Survive’s success, saying that brands and marketers should pay attention to the content that really resonates with audiences, considering channels that reach audiences in their native environments, and to showcase audiences as well as the athletes.
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