Revenue and Sponsorship Potential from Drive to Survive and F1: The Movie

2026 brings another new era of Formula 1 – regulation changes and an additional team brings opportunities for a shake-up in the drivers and constructors standings, and potential for an exciting year of racing. 

As anticipation builds for the season opener in Melbourne on the 8^th of March, Netflix tees up the release of Drive to Survive Season 8 on Friday (27^th of Feb), and the F1 Movie awaits verdicts on its four Oscar nominations on the 15^th of March.

How fans consume content related to Formula 1 has shifted over the past 8 years – the races are not the only area of fan focus, with social media channels, docuseries and films drawing in new crowds to the world of F1. But what has that done for the sport? Throughout this article, we’ll explore what impact, if any, series like Drive to Survive, and films like the F1: The Movie, have had on sponsorship potential and revenue.

Drive to Survive

Since it first aired in 2019, Drive to Survive has offered fans an insight into the inner workings of Formula 1.  

The show provides beginner-friendly explanations of rules and regulations, allowing new fans to learn more about the sport. Drive to Survive also gives fans behind-the-scenes access to team conversations and the personal lives of Formula 1 drivers, heightening drama around team politics and personal storylines/rivalries. 

While Drive to Survive has received a fair amount of backlash from those closest to the sport, as a result of its dramatisation of driver and team relationships and misrepresentation of events, it has brought the sport more eyes and more attention. And attention earns value. 

Audience Demographics 

Drive to Survive has gained a large following over the past 8 years, made up of both existing fans and people completely new to the sport. The shows cumulative audience reached over 700 million people in 2025, and its popularity has been further confirmed by its receipt of Emmy Awards in both 2022 and 2023.

A 2023 YouGov Whitepaper explored the extent to which Drive to Survive has extended the reach of Formula 1 beyond its traditional audience.

Some key findings from those surveyed included:

-  46% of those surveyed were both Drive to Survive fans and women, compared to 30% of avid F1 fans 

-  31% of those surveyed were both Drive to Survive fans and aged 18-29, compared to 20% of avid F1 fans

Whilst not all Drive to Survive fans will go on to be avid F1 fans (26% of the drive to survive fans surveyed had no interest in watching F1 Races), these statistics showed the potential for Formula 1 to diversify their following and increase the awareness of the sport, and its sponsors, in new areas. 

All this data shows the potential the show had after its first six seasons, but did this mean anything for the sport and its sponsors? Three years on from the YouGov survey, we can reflect on how these insights stack up against the current F1 audience, and we can see what value the docuseries brings to Formula 1’s teams and sponsors.

The Impact on Formula 1 Viewership:

Formula 1’s end of year summary for 2025 reflected the following trends in viewership:

-              827m total fans, up 63% since 2018

-              43% of fan base under 35, up from 30% in 2018

-              42% female fan base, up from 37% in 2018

-              114.5m social media followers, up from 18.7m in 2018

-              19 out of 24 events completely sold out in 2025

-              11 new track attendance records

-              52 million fans in the US, up 11% YOY

-              16 event TV Viewership records in the US

Since the start of Drive to Survive, female fans of Formula 1 have increased, as well as the sports younger fan base. 

While it would be simplistic to attribute F1’s entire audience growth to Drive to Survive, the timing suggests it acted as an accelerant to Liberty Media’s broader commercial strategy - particularly in the US market and among under-35 and female demographics 

Undoubtedly other factors, such as changes to the format with the addition of sprint races, more races in the USA, and increased presence (and new strategy) from F1 teams on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram since 2017, will have impacted the sports growth amongst these demographics as well. 

What Drive to Survive's popularity does show is an appetite among non-traditional F1 fans, and a platform through which their attention can be grabbed. During the height of COVID and global lockdowns, people were tuning into Drive to Survive as part of their Netflix doomscrolling, when no live sports were able to run. Then, when F1 restarting faster than many other sports, people were already hooked by the drama and storyline that Drive to Survive provided. The sport has diversified, and this increase in viewership through alternative media channels has added value to the sport, both by increasing attention and by providing another platform through which sponsors can be seen and recognised.

Value Added for F1 and its Sponsors 

A 2025 report by Datapowa showcases the additional value Drive to Survive can bring Formula 1 and its sponsors. 

The projections for media value are determined by Datapowa by looking at when, where and how logos are exposed within media content, considering audience size, impressions, time on screen, and benchmarking costs to acquire that length of screen time. Datapowa then also factors in logo size, clarity and centrality to give a more holistic view of the value that logo placements may have.  

Drive to Survive focuses on drama-filled moments throughout the F1 season, meaning some teams and some sponsors see more benefit than others when it comes to screen time for their brand. 

In the 2023 season, teams like Red Bull lost out as Max Verstappen’s dominance was not “interesting enough” to be a storyline focus during Season 5 of the show. However, the 2024 season brought a championship battle between Verstappen and Norris, pushing both teams expected media value from Drive to Survive up – for Red Bull, the expected media value sat at £40m, and for McLaren £34m. 

When it comes to team sponsors, title sponsors of the highly showcased teams, like Red Bull, came out on top, with Oracle’s media valuation coming in at just under £6.5m. Other major beneficiaries from Drive to Survive are the global partners of the sport itself – brands such as Pirelli, Rolex, DHL and Qatar saw media valuations between £4m and £9.5m. 

What the data shows is the power Netflix and sports documentaries to increase value and revenue potential. When we consider the earlier statistic from YouGov, which suggests that not all Drive to Survive fans will go on to watch or follow F1, we see that through Drive to Survive sponsors and teams are able to unlock an audience that may not be accessible to them through their current marketing efforts. For the fans who will go on to watch races, Drive to Survive increases the screen time brands receive across the broader fanbase, which still adds value by building familiarity and brand recognition.

F1: The Movie 

The success of Drive to Survive proved something important – that Formula 1 fans are interested in more than just the races themselves. The combination of Drive to Survive’s popularity and the shift in F1 social media platforms since 2017 has symbolised a push for a more digital-first approach to grow the fandom. 

F1: The Movie seems to align with this strategy. The film, which released in June 2025, follows Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a 30-year retired F1 driver, through his journey to save APXGP F1 Team from collapse. The movie had 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer and contained real footage from F1 seasons and appearances from drivers, team principals and Sky Sports Commentators. By having real F1 drivers, team members and pundits involved in production and the filming, the F1 Movie gained some additional credibility amongst fans. 

The reaction to the film was mixed. The film has received four Oscar nominations, and grossed $630m at box office globally. The film’s producer Bruckheimer has also confirmed a sequel to be officially in the works. 

When it comes to fan and pundit reactions, some reviews have been less positive. Whilst the production quality and soundtrack is largely well received, the plot line and the female character tropes received backlash from long-term F1 fans.

Some critics suggested that the film is a potential hit for non-F1 fans, but inaccuracies are enough to deter those who have watched the sport and know its history. With race fixing appearing prominently in the film, seemingly with no consequence, many long-term fans would think back to 2009’s “Crashgate” and the lifetime ban that followed. The inconsistencies between the film and the real sport can distract serious fans from enjoying the film. 

Whilst negative feedback from fans is not the reaction film producers are hoping for, this does not take away from the value that it has added for the sport and its sponsors.

F1: The Movie Revenue and Value for Sponsors

Revenue potential from the F1 movie can be looked at in a few ways. As already noted, the F1 Movie grossed $630m at box office worldwide. From this total Liberty Media announced Formula 1 Management (FOM) received less than $20 million in direct revenue. Whilst this does not show a large amount of financial benefit for F1, particularly when considering the overall valuation of the film and Liberty Media’s broader revenue, CEO of FOM Stefano Domenicali does note that the value is broader than just the percentage of the films profits F1 received.  

As with Drive to Survive, there is also sponsorship value to consider when it comes to F1: The Movie’s revenue potential. The fictional APXGP, much like any real F1 team, had sponsors on both race suits, helmets, and cars. David Leener, the producer in charge of product placement, brought in an estimated $40 million in sponsorship for the film.

This adds another avenue for revenue potential, both for the film producers and the sponsors. Unlike sponsoring a real F1 team, which could cost at least $5m for just the front wing, and up to $100m for title sponsorship, movie product placement is typically in the $250,000 - $1m range. Sponsors interested in accessing the F1 audience therefore  could buy logo placement opportunities at a much lower cost. With F1: The Movie being shown on more than 44,000 screens in 78 markets outside the US & Canada, this represents an excellent opportunity for brands to increase their presence and recognition.

From a marketing perspective, critical reception is secondary to distribution scale. With the audience size it captured, the film offered sponsors global exposure at a fraction of the cost of traditional F1 team sponsorship. 

With a sequel inbound for the F1 Movie, the potential for revenue and value to be added remains strong for both F1 and its sponsors.

So, Do Docuseries and Films Add Value?

As we have explored, new channels and platforms have created new opportunities for value generation in the world of F1.

Docuseries and films bring new eyeballs to the sport in an age when digital-first marketing is becoming ever more important.

Value can be generated for a range of stakeholders – whether FOM, the F1 teams, or the sponsors. This value comes in both direct forms, such as revenue from film profits or product placement income, and indirect forms, through increased audience size and brand recognitions for teams and sponsors.

Whilst interest in Drive to Survive does seem to be stagnating (and in some places, shrinking), an exciting 2025 season brings potential for more drama as a result of close championship battle. With the F1 movie sequel also inbound, there seems to still be many more opportunities for alternatives platforms to increase revenue and sponsorship potential in the sport.

The real value of Drive to Survive and the F1 Movie is not in the direct revenue they generate. It is the repositioning of Formula 1 from a sport to an entertainment IP - one with year-round sponsor inventory, diversified audience demographics, and expanding monetisation channels. In that context, docuseries and films are not marketing accessories - they are commercial infrastructure.