The upcoming Netflix docuseries titled "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" will be without the two star teams that helped define last season. According to a new report, Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari both declined to be involved in the docuseries.
The Telegraph reported Sunday that the crew behind the docuseries have shamed both teams for letting down fans of the motorsport. The 2018 season came down to a championship battle between Mercedes and Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel duked it out on the track for the top spot. Eventually, Hamilton walked away victorious. Without either of the teams included in the 10-part series, the production company said it diminishes the series' effectiveness. According to the report, the docuseries was dreamt up to further engage U.S. audiences and bolster viewership in the country.
2019 Mercedes-AMG W10 Formula 1 race car
Executive producer Paul Martin said "Mercedes and Ferrari wanted to operate under different terms" compared to the other teams. The crew prides itself on the docuseries being an "all-or-nothing" tale of the fortunes and fouls of the motorsport. "If those terms were good enough for the eight other teams, it should have been good enough for Mercedes and Ferrari, too," Martin added. He even called their nonparticipation a "slight disservice" to the fans and the sport.
The other teams such as Red Bull Racing, Renault, and Haas gave the crews basically an all-access pass to their operations, as well as their drivers, family members, and leadership inside the racing organizations.
The series will debut on March 8 before the start of the 2019 season. Viewers will follow the entire 2018 F1 season that began in Australia and ended in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, viewers won't get a behind-the-scenes look at the two teams that were involved in the fight to the finish.