Toto Wolff reveals what he hates about Drive to Survive

The popular Netflix show has offered Formula 1 fans significant access into the inner workings of the sport

Toto Wolff has revealed that he does not like the access to Formula given to prominent Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’, and claimed the makers of the popular documentary “create a spin to the narrative”.

The series, first launched in 2019, has offered fans an unrivalled insight into the inner workings and personalities of Formula 1 and has been credited with a key role in the sport’s resurgent popularity, particularly in the USA.

The fourth season will cover the 2021 F1 season and the title rivalry between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

Wolff, team principal at the German team, is surprised at the freedom granted to the makers of the documentary around the sport, describing it as “scary”.

The Austrian also believes that the documentary can be clever in manipulating footage to create storylines, though understands the need to dramatise events.

“It’s scary how much we let them in,” Wolff said. “You hate to see yourself in there.

“They create a spin to the narrative - they put scenes together that didn’t happen.

“I guess you’d say as an insider, ‘well that’s different than how it was.’ But we’re creating entertainment, and that is a new dimension of entertainment.”

First-time world title winner Verstappen will not feature in the documentary despite his leading role in the 2021 season.

The Dutchman accused ‘Drive to Survive’ of creating “faked rivalries” and declined to take part.

For Wolff, the role of the show has been positive in unlocking new audiences.

F1 has boomed particularly among a younger generation, with the emphasis on attracting that demographic described by Wolff as a departure from the sport’s time under the guidance of former chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

“Bernie Ecclestone would say, ‘I’m not interested in the 15-35 [year-olds] because they are not buying Rolexes from my sponsor’,” the Mercedes boss explained.

“But obviously that has changed because, with social media, this is the demographic that’s driving the audiences, that’s driving the reach - and they are the future decision-makers.

“Formula One, from our perspective, always was a global sport - big in Europe, big in South America, big in Asia and in the Middle East.

“In a way, we never accessed or excited the American audiences. Formula One is a niche sport - it’s a high-tech, high-income demographic, high-academic education.

“I thought it must be easier to tap the audiences in the big cities, like New York, but we really never got there.

“Then Liberty took over, didn’t move the needle really. And then Netflix came, Covid came and people started to binge-watch.

“And then suddenly we have this huge momentum now in the US that nobody had expected.”