"They can't go out to dinner": Marcus Ericsson reveals F1 drivers' dilemma after Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' boom

Formula 1 first aired on Netflix with the Drive to Survive series in 2019, and since then, it has become a major hit. In line with this, the ex-F1 driver-turned-Indycar racer, Marcus Ericsson, has made some fascinating comments.

Marcus Ericsson believes that the F1 drivers' popularity among the masses has skyrocketed since the launch of Drive to Survive. Via the Conor Daly-hosted Speed Street show, Ericsson insisted that the F1 drivers can't even go out to dinner because of the ever-present buzz around them, courtesy of Netflix's Drive to Survive.

"I think that was sort of the, what kicked things off, and then it's just been growing since then. I think I always say I missed the window by a few years. I should have moved my window a little bit, and I would have been a superstar now. Now I'm just like, missed the window a bit, but that's okay. But yeah, I think it's very different, I know a few drivers still there, and I speak to them, and they say as well. You know, it's very different to back then and now. In a race weekend, they can't really go out and have dinner, you know, like they are superstars." Ericsson said. (32:15 onwards)

Marcus Ericsson, during his time in F1, competed in 97 Grand Prix's and managed to amass 18 points. Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc are some of the many big names in the world of F1.

Marcus Ericsson views all current F1 drivers as 'proper superstars'

While Marcus Ericsson has revealed how the lives of F1 drivers have changed since the launch of Drive to Survive, he also feels that all of them are proper superstars. There are only 20 drivers competing in a single season of the sport (barring any kind of mishaps).

"When I was there, it was like yeah with a lot of fans but now it's like proper superstars, all of them. You know all F1 drivers, so it definitely changed a lot and its cool to see and I always say, you know, it's a good thing for us as well in IndyCar." Ericsson said on Speed Street.

Via the same show, the 34-year-old also shed light on the highlights of his 97-race F1 calendar.

"Yeah, on a personal side, I think probably in 20, my last year in 2018 when I scored points there, I'd been like we had a really bad year, the year before, we didn't score any points, I think we didn't score any points for two years or something. We were really struggling financially, and I think in Bahrain in 2018 in finished ninth."

Since leaving F1, Ericsson has found success in IndyCar. So far in his six-year-long career, he has managed to amass four Grand Prix wins along with 11 podium finishes. Ericsson will drive for Andretti Global in the 2025 IndyCar season, the same as last year.