First, I would like to say I am not a racing fan. I do not watch Nascar and the only familiarity I have with Formula 1 is the Ron Howard film, Rush. I began watching this series because my family was in town visiting and everyone was still asleep, so I turned on Netflix, and this was the first thing that came up.

Documentaries are like legalized crack. A few years ago I watched the documentary, KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS, which is about a guy that gets obsessed with breaking the world record for the old school Donkey Kong arcade game. This is not an interesting subject matter, it’s a guy playing a arcade game that most sane people don’t play anymore. But, as a documentary, it was… great. Formula 1 has never interested me when you turn it on, it’s just a bunch of cars going around in circles and people randomly cheering. As a documentary though, Formula 1 might be my new favorite sport. The Netflix series takes you through numerous interviews and races with the different drivers and teams. The show gives you a sense of the politics at play in this sport and the high cost of losing. You will find yourself cheering for certain teams to do well, and others to lose the same way you would with any competition. The difference is, the Formula 1 season has already ended and if you really cared about the result, you could easily find it online. The show is more focused around the people, the drivers, the teams, the sponsors, and the love for the sport that these individuals display is infectious.

After watching this series, I do not anticipate watching any Formula 1 races in the future. I might try to, now that I know more about the racers and drivers, but still don’t think it’s for me. The docuseries, though, is one of my new favorite shows on Netflix, and has given me a respect for the sport that I otherwise wouldn’t have.