F1 stars from Netflix's Drive to Survive will be pairing up with professional golfers from Netflix's Full Swing in the 'Netflix Cup,' which is going to be their first-ever live sports event.
F1 gained a large audience from the United States and other related countries after the first season of Drive to Survive (DTS) came out, covering the lives of drivers both on and off the track. Its sixth season is currently under production.
A similar series called Full Swing was recently released by Netflix, which is more or less similar to the idea of DTS but covers the lives of golf stars. Full Swing is nearing completion of the production of their second season after the first led to an increase in the audience engaged with the PGA Tour.
Netflix announced that Alex Albon of Williams, Lando Norris of McLaren, Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari will be taking part in the event along with Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Colin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.
There will be a total of four teams that will be participating in an eight-hole match and the top two will advance further in an attempt to win the Cup.
How will the Netflix Cup impact the inaugural F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix?
The Cup is to be held around the same time as F1 will go racing in Las Vegas for the inaugural Grand Prix. The effect that Drive to Survive has had on the Formula 1 fan base is very apparent.
While there used to be just a single Grand Prix in the United States earlier, this year will mark three of them; Miami, Circuit of The Americas (Texas) and Las Vegas. The race in 'Sin City' is expected to be a glamorous event.
The Netflix Cup will indulge the two groups of fans in each others' sports and the publicity that the live event will receive will surely have a huge impact on its popularity. Emily Prazer, the CCO of the Las Vegas GP stated how DTS has had a huge influence on the fan base in the United States, and how it continues to do so. Netflix quoted her as saying,
"The continued success of Drive to Survive has played a significant role in the growth of Formula 1 in the US, which has ultimately led to the addition of a third American race."
"It’s only fitting that we kick off our inaugural race weekend with a fun event that can be streamed by F1 and PGA TOUR fans around the globe."