Drive to Survive Season 3

[Leithen]

Gary29 said:

Does the Grosjean episode tell me anything I don't already know? Or is it just interviews with his wife and team thinking he wasn't getting out alive? Long pauses before they start speaking as if they're thinking deeply about things rather than the camera was rolling before a question was asked and they edited it to look like that?

The Interview with Grosjean is worth watching IMO, especially given his US commitments that have developed since.

[DaveE87]

paulguitar said:

kiseca said:

I didn't notice him in season 1, which means he did just fine (IMO) then.

In season 2 he drove me bonkers because everything he said was just stating the blindingly obvious, or rehashing some popular percieved wisdom or cliche about Formula 1.

In season 3 I noticed him because of Season 2, but he didn't drive me bonkers this time.

I think the talking heads seem to be there just to provide a basic narrative. It's aimed at non-F1 fans really, but I think all of them do a perfectly decent job and didn't annoy me at all. The messing with pit to car audio, however...

He's there to do a job which is to inform. The detail is more than many of us need but they need to play to the lowest common denominator.

On the subject of annoying journos, if there's anyone I find annoying it's Walter Koster with his long drawn-out questions. He seems to get a lot of attention but I think he's just being humoured more than anything else.

[kiseca]

ch37 said:

kiseca said:

In season 2 he drove me bonkers because everything he said was just stating the blindingly obvious, or rehashing some popular percieved wisdom or cliche about Formula 1.

He (and Gow) are literally there to fill in the gaps, I wouldn't be surprised if a rough cut is already assembled with the overall narrative in place before he then comes in and says exactly what is required to pull it all together.

You're not exactly going to get Joe Saward or Gary Anderson going deep on politics/technical stuff in a series aimed at bringing a new/on-the-fence audience into F1. The overall tone and style of the series makes pretty clear what they're going for.

I think they got most of it spot on, whilst it's very much cut and shut to make everything very tight and dramatic, they seemed to keep the overall narrative pretty honest in most cases (the Cyril/Daniel episode a case in point), the massive outlier being the McLaren episode, no idea what they were playing at there. That sort of thing can lose access to drivers in the future if they lose confidence in how they are being portrayed.

Edited by ch37 on Friday 26th March 09:48

I'll put it another way. In season 1 and season 3, for me he helped move the story along and explain what was happening. In season 2, he hardly added anything useful at all. He didn't say anything that wasn't already obvious from the footage in the show.

Whatever, someone asked why he's getting flak, I've given my reasons why he stood out as a low point for me - in season 2 specifically.

[Leithen]

kiseca said:

I'll put it another way. In season 1 and season 3, for me he helped move the story along and explain what was happening. In season 2, he hardly added anything useful at all. He didn't say anything that wasn't already obvious from the footage in the show.

Whatever, someone asked why he's getting flak, I've given my reasons why he stood out as a low point for me - in season 2 specifically.

He wouldn't be the first interviewee made to look like a plonker by an editor, and he sure as hell won't be the last.

Top bloke IMHO.

[kiseca]

Leithen said:

kiseca said:

I'll put it another way. In season 1 and season 3, for me he helped move the story along and explain what was happening. In season 2, he hardly added anything useful at all. He didn't say anything that wasn't already obvious from the footage in the show.

Whatever, someone asked why he's getting flak, I've given my reasons why he stood out as a low point for me - in season 2 specifically.

He wouldn't be the first interviewee made to look like a plonker by an editor, and he sure as hell won't be the last.

Top bloke IMHO.

Yeah that's definitely a possibility, and to be clear I accept what others say on this thread that he's one of the most knowledgeable journalists in the paddock.

[London424]

An interesting article on the Ringer about the show.

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/3/25/22349711/fo...

Coming from a US angle with little prior F1 exposure before the show came into Netflix. Very US centric anecdotes and references included though.

[Leithen]

London424 said:

An interesting article on the Ringer about the show.

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/3/25/22349711/fo...

Coming from a US angle with little prior F1 exposure before the show came into Netflix. Very US centric anecdotes and references included though.

Very good and on the money.

[rider73]

Clair Williams husband complaining about lack of Netflix content in this season - while also admitting they had not given them access and also had their own TV crew documenting the season - cake, eat it...........

https://www.grandprix.com/news/claire-williams-hus...

[anonymous-user]

rider73 said:

Clair Williams husband complaining about lack of Netflix content in this season - while also admitting they had not given them access and also had their own TV crew documenting the season - cake, eat it...........

https://www.grandprix.com/news/claire-williams-hus...

Frank achieved a huge amount of success, but in the Netfix era the team have been nowhere, the story to tell is dull compared to the other things that went on last year. The only remotely interesting thing about the team was when their star driver left for another team for one round.

Claire was boring for TV, the team was basically a story of failure leading to being forced out, that's not very interesting for anyone in the Netflix demographic. It's not a history program.

[Sandpit Steve]

London424 said:

An interesting article on the Ringer about the show.

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/3/25/22349711/fo...

Coming from a US angle with little prior F1 exposure before the show came into Netflix. Very US centric anecdotes and references included though.

That’s a great piece, and shows exactly why the programme gives such a boost to the sport. Casual audiences, and Americans in particular, love it.

[rider73]

jsf said:

rider73 said:

Clair Williams husband complaining about lack of Netflix content in this season - while also admitting they had not given them access and also had their own TV crew documenting the season - cake, eat it...........

https://www.grandprix.com/news/claire-williams-hus...

Frank achieved a huge amount of success, but in the Netfix era the team have been nowhere, the story to tell is dull compared to the other things that went on last year. The only remotely interesting thing about the team was when their star driver left for another team for one round.

Claire was boring for TV, the team was basically a story of failure leading to being forced out, that's not very interesting for anyone in the Netflix demographic. It's not a history program.

agreed

i would argue that sort of attitude is what led to the teams demise and ultimate failure and selling of it.....

swallow the pride, accept history is nothing in this day and age, and do whats best for the team and not your pride in your surname,

[Drawweight]

Grosjean’s wife slapping her forehead when he said he’d always be known as the driver who escaped from the blazing car was the highlight of that episode.

[DanielSan]

The Fella with access to Claire Williams said:

rider73 said:

Clair Williams husband complaining about lack of Netflix content in this season - while also admitting they had not given them access and also had their own TV crew documenting the season - cake, eat it...........

https://www.grandprix.com/news/claire-williams-hus...

Harris insisted it is no excuse for Netflix to argue that insufficient access was granted to the film crew in the crucial moments of last year's team sale.

"It's easy to say there wasn't access granted. No, access wasn't granted to any film crew other than Williams' own to the very private moments when Claire had to tell the team that the family were having to sell and leave the sport they love and breathe for," he said.

"But an abundance of footage was made available by the team and all crews had access at all other times. What a shame it wasn't used."

I can't imagine why Netflix just didn't bother?

[Kraken]

The Grosjean episode was the first I've watched of any of the series. Now I know why I didn't bother. It's filmed like a Discovery channel "reality" show. Fits what F1 has become I guess.

[resolve10]

Kraken said:

Fits what F1 has become I guess.

I enjoy watching close racing, and I enjoy learning how teams find ways to extract the tiniest of gains from their race cars even if I don't always understand the finer detail, but I don't think I would be as interested in F1 if it wasn't for the access teams & drivers allow media these days.

Watching Gasly grab a shock win in Monza last year was so much more enjoyable having followed the ups and downs of his career through DTS.

I realise all this won't be for the long-time hardcore fans, but even if you don't enjoy it on a personal level it can only be a good thing for the sport. It brings new fans, which in turn bring money, which helps provide a sustainable future for the sport.

[anonymous-user]

WickerBill said:

It was pretty good but it struck me that a few BIG moments were left out of the season

A lot was made of people ‘trying to stop’ Hamilton from breaking Schumachers record, and yet nothing was really shown of the incredible race in Turkey.

Would it have hurt them to show that iconic shot of gasly on the podium?

Every time hamilton was mentioned it seemed he was getting a penalty lol

I enjoyed the show but it is getting close to a bit ‘daily Mail’ and sensationalist...making stories out of nothing while missing the important things

Think I enjoyed Season 2 more...although Bottasses..... well Bott-ass was a highlight :-p

A lot of people that didn’t enjoy this season should know that they had only a couple of netflix crews at every race weekend, and each was only with a single team in a covid bubble. It was impossible to cover it all.

I think the fact they managed it with the pandemic is a huge achievement. I really enjoyed it. There was plenty of stuff in it that we didn’t see during the season, and it was great to see certain weekends from alternative perspectives.

My one gripe is the sound. Speech way too low, and car sounds absolutely deafening. But not just the volume - it’s the way it smacks you in the ears after quiet moments. Someone got very carried away. Realise this makes me sound like a pansy but I was constantly adjusting the volume Watching on a decent sound set up too.

[Kraken]

resolve10 said:

I enjoy watching close racing, and I enjoy learning how teams find ways to extract the tiniest of gains from their race cars even if I don't always understand the finer detail, but I don't think I would be as interested in F1 if it wasn't for the access teams & drivers allow media these days.

Watching Gasly grab a shock win in Monza last year was so much more enjoyable having followed the ups and downs of his career through DTS.

I realise all this won't be for the long-time hardcore fans, but even if you don't enjoy it on a personal level it can only be a good thing for the sport. It brings new fans, which in turn bring money, which helps provide a sustainable future for the sport.

Guess that's just the modern way. If it's not on video it doesn't exist. All of that has been able for years and years through the print media.

[Cedric Daniels]

Just watched the Mercedes episode of Season 3 -

Broke my heart when Bottas returned to the staff quarters to realise loads of the staff had already left. I know it is probably down to creative editing by Netflix but it tugged on the heart string. Thought he came across very well in that episode, especially for me who only started watching F1 properly last season

[resolve10]

Kraken said:

Guess that's just the modern way. If it's not on video it doesn't exist. All of that has been able for years and years through the print media.

Yes, but Netflix has a huge audience and will pick up 'casual' fans and even people who've never watched a race before and draw them in. Those people would never go out and buy F1 specific print media, but would happily watch 40 minutes of carefully edited TV.

It's just marketing and it works, but the beauty of it is you can just give it a miss if you don't fancy it. Same applies to this thread.

[Pilotguy]

F1 coverage on Channel 4 (made by Whisper productions) clearly have changed their style of presentation somewhat in response to Drive To Survive's success through Netflix.
I've loved watching Seasons 1 & 2, I was late to the party. I think the coverage of rookie F1 drivers with less emphasis on Lewis Hamilton is what makes the programme so interesting. Of course the interviews and insight as well as the superb 4k filming is fantastic.
Just getting into Season 3 at the moment and the excitement for F1 is back again!