Josef Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar champion and star of the new “100 Days to Indy” series on the CW network, shook a little spice into the rivalry between his North American open-wheel racing series and Formula One – suggesting that “Drive to Survive” on Netflix has been “fabricating” storylines.
Newgarden made his comments from onstage Wednesday night during a Q&A session following the premiere of “100 Days to Indy,” a quick-turnaround documentary-style show being co-produced by CW and Vice. He said IndyCar, which holds its third event of the 2023 season this weekend in Long Beach, has enough close racing to keep things interesting organically.
“The competition is so good that there’s no need to fabricate anything,” Newgarden said, “unlike … some motorsports products.”
That drew a knowing laugh from the Long Beach crowd and fellow IndyCar drivers onstage including Pato O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson, Scott McLaughlin and “Drive to Survive” director Patrick Dimon (who also directed the Netflix pro golf series “Full Swing”). Each agreed that the IndyCar series – historically looked down upon by F1 elites – has the goods to deliver an exciting TV series without juicing the plot.
“The product, as-is, is good enough that they don’t have to go and try and search for things or twist things around,” Newgarden said.
Added his teammate (and fellow “Bus Bros” host) McLaughlin: “There’s no cutting to put in storylines … it’s just pure, it’s just racing.”
And on that key point of closer competition, they’re correct: Unlike F1, where one or two teams dominate each season (Red Bull and Mercedes, in the modern era), IndyCar teams are much closer on the track, making it easier for smaller teams to score points and podiums. That parity still allows for legacy teams like Penske and Ganassi to thrive without icing out smaller teams – and also makes for plenty of razor-close finishes.
“Drive to Survive,” which recently launched its fifth season, was a surprise hit for both Netflix and F1, and has led to a meteoric leap for F1’s popularity in North America. In early seasons, crews had to lean heavily on smaller, low-budget teams like Haas and Williams for camera fodder – but that all changed when the show took off, and team principals – normally behind-the-scenes guys like Toto Wolff and Christian Horner – from Red Bull and Mercedes became beloved “characters” on the show.
Their rivalries, as well as internal team drama (F1 teammates are not expected to get along, and almost never do) and other “controversy” is the gas that makes “Drive to Survive” go, since the racing outcomes are practically pre-determined. And with the show now a Netflix juggernaut, team F1 principals and drivers are significantly more likely to sit for interviews – and speak, to put it mildly, candidly.
But in IndyCar, the tone is quite different: Many drivers, including teammates, are good or even best friends, despite their burning desire to smoke one another on-track. Even the most heated on-track rivalries give way to a friendly and supportive social fabric that may not be as easy to sell on-screen.
There’s also quite a glam gap between IndyCar and Formula One.
Steeped in money, swag and international flair, F1 teams may spend as much as $15 million to build a single car, dropping tens of millions more to complete a season that’s run exclusively on street and road courses around the globe. With less tech but more raw power, IndyCars cost around $2 million, and run only on North American tracks, including include ovals like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – where top speeds often exceed the limits of F1 cars by 10 mph or more.
There was some chatter among IndyCar teams about not cooperating with the Vice crews shooting “100 Days.” But judging by the first episode, played in full Wednesday night at the Long Beach Convention Centre, they’ll have no problems capturing candid moments with at least some of the drivers and teams as they shoot – then edit almost in real-time – the run-up to this year’s Indianapolis 500, held over Memorial Day Weekend.
The first episode of “100 Days to Indy” premieres April 27 on the CW.