How Netflix might have helped Ocon switch from Mercedes to Renault

According to Esteban Ocon, Netflix remarkably contributed to his switch from Mercedes to Renault. The Frenchman tells in conversation with La Depeche. According to the now 24-year-old driver himself, he remained in the picture (despite his reserve role at Mercedes in 2019) because of the documentary Drive to Survive.

"Filming started when I was active in the role of reserve driver at Mercedes," Ocon told the French medium. "Netflix put me in the spotlight then. I don't want to suggest that I was brought in by Renault because of Netflix, but it did help."

Different course

In Bernie Ecclestone's time, Formula 1 was a very closed world and there was almost no room for the media to show what it was like in the premier class of motorsport. With the arrival of Liberty Media, this has changed completely. For the fan, but certainly also for the drivers themselves. "In the past everything was locked up and it was not allowed to film in the paddock. Now it's even a Netflix capturing everything at the tracks."

The difference, according to Ocon, is "huge" now that the sport has opened up more to the public. "That extra interest in the sport might just have been worth it." The number of Formula 1 viewers worldwide has increased considerably in recent years.