# 'Formula One-Drive to Survive'



## Grant Fondo (2 Mar 2020)

Watching this on Netflix as a quite like F1, but talk about stage managed with a few swear words thrown in. Every word weighted down by sponsorship pressure, its a lame advertising vehicle (pardon the pun) for the sport and overly stylised. I bet the team bosses had a big hand in editing it before it was released.


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## Joffey (2 Mar 2020)

I used to love F1 - over the last 5-6 years it has become as dull as dishwater.


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## Archie_tect (2 Mar 2020)

Stopped watching when the BBC1 lost coverage of the live races.


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## Phaeton (2 Mar 2020)

Season 1 or 2? I watched Season 1 last year, thoroughly enjoyed it, watched episode 1 of Season 2 last night, again enjoyed it, but it takes all sorts.


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## Grant Fondo (2 Mar 2020)

I may have to modify my initial assessment, and now on episode 4 Season 2. Its getting better but bloody hell there are some big egos in F1.


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## MichaelW2 (2 Mar 2020)

If drivers do show any emotion, it is not visible to anyone. Mostly I suspect they are scheming how to beat their team mates at any cost. It is probably the most psychopathic of all sports. In cycling, you cant win unless you learn to make alliances often with your rivals.


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## Joey Shabadoo (2 Mar 2020)

The staged bits were cringey; Lewis Hamilton with his pieces to camera "I always knew I would achieve extraordinary things in my life, that's who I am". Oh fark off you pretentious twat but on the other hand, his qualifying lap when suffering with flu was astonishing. 

I don't like the technique of asking someone a question, letting them answer then keeping the camera on them during the silence. It's designed to make people look stupid and Netflix used it a lot. 

I think I preferred Season 1 where there was no Ferrari or Mercedes. The ongoing dramas and rivalries of the midfield were far more interesting.


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## Phaeton (2 Mar 2020)

Joey Shabadoo said:


> The staged bits were cringey; Lewis Hamilton with his pieces to camera "I always knew I would achieve extraordinary things in my life, that's who I am". Oh fark off you pretentious twat but on the other hand,


You say that, but any sportsperson of that level has got to have their own self belief otherwise they wouldn't get there, me I couldn't give a fudge whether I win, it is the fun of taking part, that's why I'm crap at everything.



Joey Shabadoo said:


> I think I preferred Season 1 where there was no Ferrari or Mercedes. The ongoing dramas and rivalries of the midfield were far more interesting.


It shows what effect it must have had, they both turned down the invitation to be included in S1, but bith think it necessary to get involved in S2?


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## Edwardoka (2 Mar 2020)

Joffey said:


> I used to love F1 - over the last 5-6 years it has become as dull as dishwater.


I also used to love it and watched it religiously. However, the rot set in far earlier than that, IMO.

The decline started when Murray Walker retired, a lot of the entertainment was down to his contagious enthusiasm and his Murrayisms.

The 2004 season ended it for me, with total Ferrari dominance, very little excitement, zero unpredictability. (That was the season when Schumi and Barrichello orchestrated photo finishes). I resented the 8+ hours a month I was spending watching it.

Why would anyone watch unlikeable primadonna drivers driving to tolerances of thousandths of a second, on identikit circuits that have been designed mostly by one guy? Where's your modern-day equivalent of the old Hockenheimring where teams have to compromise between handling and top speed? Where's your Schumacher limping into the pits on 3 wheels to punch Coulthard?

I'm guessing I'm unlikely to get anything out of this documentary.


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## Joey Shabadoo (2 Mar 2020)

Oh yus


View: https://youtu.be/fUkTSzPkiq8


My favourite Coulthard moment


View: https://youtu.be/sTbwhhn-rr4


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## Joffey (3 Mar 2020)

Edwardoka said:


> I also used to love it and watched it religiously. However, the rot set in far earlier than that, IMO.
> 
> The decline started when Murray Walker retired, a lot of the entertainment was down to his contagious enthusiasm and his Murrayisms.
> 
> ...



I agree with all of that


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## Phaeton (3 Mar 2020)

Murray was the ultimate, but David Croft & Martin Brundle make a very good pairing


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## Grant Fondo (3 Mar 2020)

Joey Shabadoo said:


> The staged bits were cringey; Lewis Hamilton with his pieces to camera "I always knew I would achieve extraordinary things in my life, that's who I am". Oh fark off you pretentious twat but on the other hand, his qualifying lap when suffering with flu was astonishing.
> 
> I don't like the technique of asking someone a question, letting them answer then keeping the camera on them during the silence. It's designed to make people look stupid and Netflix used it a lot.
> 
> I think I preferred Season 1 where there was no Ferrari or Mercedes. The ongoing dramas and rivalries of the midfield were far more interesting.


The bits with Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner climbing into private jets made me barf.
I will probably watch the upcoming F1 season with a whole new perspective, but can't wait for the first robotic, "you-are-the-man-Lewis! Get-in-there-mate! [Cringe]


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## Beebo (3 Mar 2020)

Joffey said:


> I used to love F1 - over the last 5-6 years it has become as dull as dishwater.


F1 seems to lend itself to periods of single team domination, which is a shame for the racing spectacle. Mainly due to the rule changes and who adapts best. 

Since 1984 there has been the McLaren winning 7 out of 8 years. Then Williams and Benetton shared it for 6 seasons. Then you’ve had 5 years of a Ferrari, 4 years of Red bull and now 6 years of Mercs. With a couple of odd seasons thrown in. 

It’s been this way for years. Coupled with the ever increasing reliability of the cars means that surprises rarely happen.


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## AndyRM (3 Mar 2020)

Another thing which took the excitement out of it for me was taking refuelling out of the pit stops. I still watch and enjoy the occasional race but I'm nowhere near as invested in it as I used to be.


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## Edwardoka (3 Mar 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Another thing which took the excitement out of it for me was taking refuelling out of the pit stops. I still watch and enjoy the occasional race but I'm nowhere near as invested in it as I used to be.


Yep.

Used to enjoy speculating and weighing up the benefits of a 2 stop strategy vs a 3 stop strategy, or seeing drivers stay out longer on worn tyres to get the most out of having a mostly empty tank while their opponents get caught in a pit jam.

All gone. Of course it's fine, they added a turbo boost button


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## gavroche (3 Mar 2020)

F1 was good when the cars had manual gearboxes and no radio. Drivers had to think for themselves then and not be dictated what to do by the team manager and a car full of electronics. Also , drivers were allowed to race properly without H&S controlling everything. Needless to say, I don't watch it anymore, too boring.


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## Phaeton (3 Mar 2020)

AndyRM said:


> Another thing which took the excitement out of it for me was taking refuelling out of the pit stops. I still watch and enjoy the occasional race but I'm nowhere near as invested in it as I used to be.


I disagree I disliked refuelling as all it did was split the race up into 2, 3 or 4 sprints where really the only last one had any interest.


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## AndyRM (3 Mar 2020)

Phaeton said:


> I disagree I disliked refuelling as all it did was split the race up into 2, 3 or 4 sprints where really the only last one had any interest.



Yeah, that's a fair take too.


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## Beebo (5 Mar 2020)

gavroche said:


> F1 was good when the cars had manual gearboxes and no radio. Drivers had to think for themselves then and not be dictated what to do by the team manager and a car full of electronics. Also , drivers were allowed to race properly without H&S controlling everything. Needless to say, I don't watch it anymore, too boring.


The F1 racing series is the cutting edge of racing technology. If you want old style racing there are plenty of racing series to follow, but F1 isn’t going to do that. 

Not sure what you mean about H&S stopping drivers racing. The cars are faster than they’ve ever been. I don’t want to go back to the era that averaged one death per year. Safety flags can be annoying but if anything they back the race up and increase the overall racing.


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## Edwardoka (5 Mar 2020)

Beebo said:


> The F1 racing series is the cutting edge of racing technology. If you want old style racing there are plenty of racing series to follow, but F1 isn’t going to do that.
> 
> Not sure what you mean about H&S stopping drivers racing. The cars are faster than they’ve ever been. I don’t want to go back to the era that averaged one death per year. Safety flags can be annoying but if anything they back the race up and increase the overall racing.


No-one is seriously advocating a return to the days of the 60s where the cars and tracks were high speed deathtraps waiting to snatch a driver's life away in an instant.

We should of course insist that as much is done as possible to stop death and serious injury in any sport, but that argument taken to its logical conclusion: why even have drivers in the cars any more? Realtime drone technology exists.

The cars may be faster but pure speed was never what was exciting about it. It used to be that you could tell how hard a driver was pushing by how much they lifted off at the Eau Rouge, does that still happen with the superior aerodynamics and suspension or can they take it flat out?


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## Reynard (5 Mar 2020)

Edwardoka said:


> Where's your Schumacher limping into the pits on 3 wheels to punch Coulthard?



Or Piquet and Salazar... 

The best racing drivers are really selfish, and don't care, either who they walk over to get what they want, or what other people think of them.

I'm far less into F1 than I used to be - there's better racing to be had elsewhere. F1 from the mid 80s through to the mid 90s probably had the best balance between good racing, technology and challenging the drivers. Plus the cars actually looked good - the current gen of F1 cars are truly fugly.

Although the safety of that era (and prior to it) is something I really don't want to return to. When a fatality touches you personally...

Things are much better regarding driver safety these days, and I'm glad to have played a small part in that.


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## gavroche (5 Mar 2020)

Beebo said:


> The cars are faster than they’ve ever been.


Not really. In the 70s , cars could do 233mph compared to 187mph in thre 60s, according to Google. How fast nowadays, certainly not faster than 233mph I think.


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## Beebo (5 Mar 2020)

gavroche said:


> Not really. In the 70s , cars could do 233mph compared to 187mph in thre 60s, according to Google. How fast nowadays, certainly not faster than 233mph I think.


 but corner and braking is vastly improved so lap times are much quicker.


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## Reynard (5 Mar 2020)

gavroche said:


> Not really. In the 70s , cars could do 233mph compared to 187mph in thre 60s, according to Google. How fast nowadays, certainly not faster than 233mph I think.



Ultimate straight line speed isn't everything - unless you're drag racing.

Back in the 1970s, the chassis were made aircraft-style, riveted aluminium. Tended to go into origami mode when crashed. These are nowhere near as stiff as today's carbon tubs, and this makes a massive difference in handling. 70s cars were quite often sideways - when you're doing that, you're scrubbing off speed and losing time. Mechanical grip is so much better these days.

Tyre technology - tyres are grippier and more predictable. It's not my area of ken, so can't comment so much on this.

Aerodynamics are so much better - or rather, the understanding of aerodynamics is so much better. Which means the car is pushed into the track more, so more consistent contact and less sliding around.

You've gone from 4-speed hewland manual gearboxes to 7-speed seamless shifting automatics - shifts are quicker, not much for an individual shift, but multiply that over a whole race distance...

There might be some other things that spring to mind, but that's pretty well much it in a nutshell.


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## gavroche (6 Mar 2020)

F1 has become boring for now as it has become just a procession of cars going round a circuit due to all the regulations that tell drivers when and where they can overtake . That isn't racing for me Of course, I don't wish anyone to be killed but racing means taking risks sometimes, it is what makes it interesting so let's face it, the cars themselves are pretty safe nowadays , probably safer than the ones you buy off the forecourt. F1 is just like watching cricket now, boring.


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## AndyRM (12 Mar 2020)

So, I've watched all of the first series now, and half of the second. 

Definitely prefer the first, particularly as most of the in car shots seem to have the camera turned around the wrong way; I'm well aware of what a visor, helmet and tiny steering wheel looks like.


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## Joey Shabadoo (2 Apr 2020)

Still think F1 would be improved by the drivers doing their own pit stops.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Apr 2020)

They ought to combine it with supermarket sweep. Oh Lewis has stopped for bog roll, and Vettel is going for the hand sanitize. This could get interesting.


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## Archie_tect (4 May 2020)

Perhaps F! should seriously consider taking this opportunity to scrap the internal combustion engine forever and put all their focus on alternative energy power- think of the advancements they could be making in the lockdown... unless they merge with e-formula racing?


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## Beebo (4 May 2020)

Archie_tect said:


> Perhaps F! should seriously consider taking this opportunity to scrap the internal combustion engine forever and put all their focus on alternative energy power- think of the advancements they could be making in the lockdown... unless they merge with e-formula racing?


I doubt it will happen. Formula e have that already covered. 
F1 is about the pinnacle of racing, so it won’t happen until an electric car can complete with an oil burner.


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## Archie_tect (4 May 2020)

The internal combustion engine is no longer the pinnacle- it's turn of the 19th century technology way past it's sell-by date.

Combine e-formula and F1 - daft to run both- besides after the lock-down burning fossil fuels is so 2019!


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## Edwardoka (13 Jun 2020)

Edwardoka said:


> I'm guessing I'm unlikely to get anything out of this documentary.


I finally got round to watching it and I'm happy to admit I was wrong. The format of each episode following one or two narrative threads throughout a season is far more compelling than it would have been if they had tried to follow races linearly.

Sure, some of the people involved are extremely unlikeable and a lot of the drama was embellished in editing, but it is compelling nonetheless. Genuinely cheered when Gasly got his 2nd place at Interlagos, GIRUY Horner


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## Reynard (13 Jun 2020)

Mmmm, well motor racing is full of unlikeable people. I've met my share of them over the years. 

On the flip side, motor racing is also full of some of the nicest people ever.


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## Drago (14 Jun 2020)

Joey Shabadoo said:


> Still think F1 would be improved by the drivers doing their own pit stops.


And gaffa taping over Hamilton's mouth.


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## cookiemonster (1 Dec 2020)

F1 have just announced that Lewis Hamilton is out of this weekend's second Bahrain GP after testing positive for Covid. 

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...ting-positive-for.43GvWfdyvajkyisofT26LX.html


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## Phaeton (1 Dec 2020)

Did he come back for Rita Ora's party?


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## Beebo (1 Dec 2020)

cookiemonster said:


> F1 have just announced that Lewis Hamilton is out of this weekend's second Bahrain GP after testing positive for Covid.
> 
> https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...ting-positive-for.43GvWfdyvajkyisofT26LX.html


Lucky the championship is already won.
it will be interesting to see how well the new driver does in the best car.


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## gbb (13 Dec 2020)

I havnt seen the program / film in the OP but just watching F1 on channel 4, as a lifelong F1 fan who has lapsed into a 'meh' attitude to it all, the intro from the pundits says it all, its hype, it's become so super slick it's almost cheesy, it just plain annoying now, telling you how exciting the seasons been, blah blah blah.....and for me, it none of that anymore.


When George Russell, no disrespect, can climb into the Mercedes car and nearly win....again, that says it all. it's just a procession, money has ruined it.
I loved F1 all my life, theyve ruined it. C4s way of presenting it has ruined it too.
Just my opinion of course.


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## Phaeton (13 Dec 2020)

gbb said:


> I havnt seen the program / film in the OP but just watching F1 on channel 4, as a lifelong F1 fan who has lapsed into a 'meh' attitude to it all, the intro from the pundits says it all, its hype, it's become so super slick it's almost cheesy, it just plain annoying now, telling you how exciting the seasons been, blah blah blah.....and for me, it none of that anymore.
> 
> 
> When George Russell, no disrespect, can climb into the Mercedes car and nearly win....again, that says it all. it's just a procession, money has ruined it.
> ...


Personally I think the C4 version is quite dire, the presenters have no personality, there's no chemistry, Sky version however is a lot more enjoyable, although today's race was a borefest compared with last weeks.


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## keithmac (13 Dec 2020)

I watched last weeks as it was genuinely exciting to see how Russel would fair. Turns out Mercedes managed to completely fxxk it up for him.

Didn't bother watching this weeks, same old same old..


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## gbb (13 Dec 2020)

keithmac said:


> I watched last weeks as it was genuinely exciting to see how Russel would fair. Turns out Mercedes managed to completely fxxk it up for him.
> 
> Didn't bother watching this weeks, same old same old..


I do wonder if Mercedes messed it up deliberately...maybe I'm being a conspiracy theorist, but would it reflect badly on Hamilton if any old F1 driver ( again, no disrespect to George R) can win in the car ?


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## Phaeton (13 Dec 2020)

gbb said:


> I do wonder if Mercedes messed it up deliberately...maybe I'm being a conspiracy theorist, but would it reflect badly on Hamilton if any old F1 driver ( again, no disrespect to George R) can win in the car ?


If that was the case then they would have ensured Bottas would have won to secure a 1 - 2 in the drivers rather that having to wait till this week


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## keithmac (13 Dec 2020)

gbb said:


> I do wonder if Mercedes messed it up deliberately...maybe I'm being a conspiracy theorist, but would it reflect badly on Hamilton if any old F1 driver ( again, no disrespect to George R) can win in the car ?



That thought did cross my mind as well!.


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