The other 'grand finale'
Before 2021 and the grand final duel in Abu Dhabi between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, the last title awarded in the final race of the season was that of 2016which saw those who at the time were two teammates within the Mercedes team face off: the 'usual' Hamilton And Nico Rosbergwho on that occasion finally managed to snatch the crown from his rival after being beaten in the two-year period 2014-2015.
In the very intense years of the Hamilton-Rosberg dualism, when the Mercedes silver arrows were head and shoulders above the competition, there was however no Netflix's 'reality' show, Drive to Survive, which since 2018 has begun to steadily spy on the 'behind the scenes' of Formula 1, generating an exponential growth of fans following the sport but also numerous criticisms from purists. Nico Rosberg himself, interviewed by the site City AMunderlined the merits of the very popular TV series, admitting however he would not have liked having to deal with the program at all in the year of his world championship consecration.
Dualism at Mercedes
“Drive to Survive in 2016? No, that would have been horrible. It would have been horrible because it would have taken away my concentration to win the championship. It would have been a disaster.”. That season was made famous by numerous clashes, on and off the track, between Hamilton and Rosberg. The two eliminated each other from the Spanish GP and also came into contact on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix, then played for the title in the final laps of the Abu Dhabi race, when Hamilton deliberately tried to hinder Rosberg to facilitate his return of rivals who could take away the points needed to win the championship.
Analyzing the product created by Netflix as a whole, however, Rosberg has some highlighted the merits: “What F1 has done so well with Netflix is that it's a reality show. They were lucky that certain people, such as Guenther Steiner or other team principals, accepted to be real, even taking the associated risks. Formula 1 has had a strong increase in viewers thanks to social media and Netflix. But also thanks to the new generation of drivers, which is exciting“.
#Rosberg #Drive #Survive #horrible