"I don't believe it is": Will Buxton questions Drive to Survive model for NASCAR and IndyCar

British motorsports journalist and IndyCar presenter Will Buxton has expressed his doubts on whether the Netflix docuseries model could work for American racing series like NASCAR or IndyCar.

Drive to Survive, which was first released in 2019, has been widely credited with playing a key role in Formula 1's global popularity surge among younger and diverse audiences. During the latest episode of Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, Buxton acknowledged the impact the series had on Formula 1’s visibility but shared that it was not the sole driver of its popularity in his opinion.

"So yes, it was hugely important. Is it an absolute blueprint for every other sport in the world today? I don't believe it is because I think the time is different. So you if you want a series or you want a behind-the-scenes look, you almost have to to take what Drive Survivor's done, but you have to do something different," he said (15:48 onwards).

According to Buxton, Drive to Survive succeeded not just because of its storytelling but also because it arrived during the global lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

"People were stuck at home, didn't know what to watch. All of a sudden, top 10, you know, there's this Drive to Survive thing. So, people tuned in and watched it and fell in love with the characters and the drivers and the team bosses...You’re never going to see that replicated," he added (14:53).

A global survey in 2021 revealed that the average age of an F1 viewer shifted to 32, with double the number of women. The series also saw growth in viewership from the US, India, China, and Mexico.

Will Buxton added that a docuseries alone is not enough for NASCAR and IndyCar to replicate F1's success. He suggested a combination of storytelling, digital freedom, and strategic media investment.

---

"Very savvy and very smart" - Will Buxton credits F1's leadership for success

Will Buxton is a well-known motorsports journalist. He was Formula 1’s first digital presenter in 2018 and has covered over 300 races. The 44-year-old joined FOX Sports as the lead commentator for IndyCar for the 2025 season.

During the same podcast with Kevin Harvick, Buxton also credited Liberty Media’s broader strategy as one of the reasons F1 managed to capture a new, global audience.

"Liberty Media were very savvy and very smart when they came into Formula 1 because they saw the product. They saw the potential that existed within it, but they also saw that it had really underutilized what at the time was a massive boom in social media," Will Buxton explained (12:20).

The American mass media company took over F1 in 2017 for $4.4 billion. Liberty embraced digital platforms, lifted content restrictions, and made the sport more accessible online.