"It’s been a marketing bonanza" - F1 Australian GP boss praises Netflix's Drive to Survive for increasing number of female viewers

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott has praised Netflix’s F1: Drive to Survive for drawing more people to the sport, especially female fans.

Westacott says there has been a marked increase in female ticket purchases for the Australian GP compared to the pre-Drive to Survive era.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Australian GP last weekend, he said:

“It’s been exceptional. It’s been a marketing bonanza for Formula 1. It was great because it gives people an insight into the sport that so many people have loved for 70 years.

“But I’ll give you one tangible example – ticket purchasing used to be 75 per cent male to 25 per cent female. Purchasing for this year was 60-40, so there is a huge increase in female purchasing.”

The 2022 Australian GP witnessed a record-breaking crowd of more than 4,00,000 spectators across the three-day event. According to the event’s promoters, it was the largest crowd to have attended an F1 race in the country since the 1995 Adelaide Grand Prix.

According to Westacott, Drive to Survive contributed to most fans' enthusiasm for the sport’s return to the country after three years.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the season-opening race in Melbourne was canceled. Since then, the venue has been off the calendar due to COVID-related restrictions.

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F1 is “more exciting” for regular fans with Drive to Survive

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has claimed that Netflix’s Drive to Survive has made F1 more exciting for regular fans. He believes the show does this by providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look of the sport’s workings that were previously “closed off.”

Speaking to Motorsport Total about the impact of the docu-drama on the sport, Brown said:

“The exciting thing about Formula 1 is it’s closed off. You couldn’t look inside. People have wanted to see what’s going on in the Formula 1 paddock for years. But they weren’t allowed to. But now we have opened our doors, and many are amazed.

“It’s done some wonderful things to bring in new fans around the world. I think it was number one in 25 countries. So, I think the primary goal of Netflix is to entertain and bring new viewers to Formula 1. And I think it’s accomplished that tenfold, which is great.”

While Drive to Survive has undeniably had a positive impact on the sport, especially in fan engagement, the series has also been controversial.

Its recent seasons have come under criticism from drivers and older fans for their lack of authenticity while portraying certain events.