Christian Horner joins Lewis Hamilton with F1 ‘Kardashians’ show comparison

Red Bull boss Christian Horner branded Formula 1 the “Kardashians on wheels” thanks to the impact of Drive to Survive, several months on from when Lewis Hamilton also made a Kardashians-related reference.

The emergence of Netflix’s hit docuseries Drive to Survive, which takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour of Formula 1, has served to open up a whole new audience for the series, sparking record attendances and a scramble from promoters to secure a place on the calendar.

But, with this after all being a show, it has also started a trend where the off-track drama in F1 is now greatly magnified compared to the past.

Several of the team bosses have in fact become stars in their own right thanks in part to Drive to Survive, including Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who are no strangers to winding each other up. Haas principal Guenther Steiner meanwhile is a Drive to Survive-inspired cult hero these days.

But, as for those fans who have been drawn to Formula 1 by Netflix, Horner was asked in an interview with the Financial Times whether if the show were to stop, or change style, would those fans be won over by the racing and remain interested in the series?

Horner suspects not, as he feels Formula 1 these days has become the “Kardashians on wheels” for this entertainment-first audience.

“I think with the audience that we’ve attracted probably not,” said Horner. “I mean, we are now the Kardashians on wheels.

“I mean you’re just looking for Guenther Steiner to lose it, or for my friend Toto [Wolff] and I to have a little bit of jousting.”

This is not the first time that the Kardashian family has been brought up in a reference to Formula 1 drama.

Late last year, as the dramatic fallout continued regarding Red Bull’s minor breach of the 2021 cost cap, Hamilton made a similar comment regarding the off-track shenanigans on a whole that season, which was making Formula 1 resemble reality television in his opinion.

“I mean, it feels like a bit of a Kardashian show happening here,” he told Channel 4 with a chuckle.

“It’s pretty hilarious, some of the stuff that I’ve heard over the past few days has been so entertaining. I’m sure it’ll all be on Netflix, it’s going to be great.”

PlanetF1.com recommends

Drive to Survive: Guenther Steiner opens up on ‘difficult’ side of Netflix fame

Is Netflix’s Drive to Survive nearing the end of the road?

That being said, Horner was keen to make clear that Drive to Survive has served a great purpose for Formula 1, being the fly-on-the-wall series that it is designed to be as the viewers get a look at what is going on behind the scenes, far beyond what the TV cameras can capture.

“It gets you behind the scenes to know the personalities of the drivers a little more and exposes the characters,” he said.

“And it’s not just about the front of the field. It’s about the trials and tribulations that go on down the grid, at the back of the grid, what they’re fighting for.

“So I think what it has done is it has just opened up all…If you watch just the grand prix, you get the entertainment of that race, but you don’t get that behind-the-scenes look into what goes on.

“So I think that’s the dynamic that it has completely changed, and Formula 1, to a degree, it is a bit of a soap opera. I mean the way it operates, the characters involved, the money involved, the politics. There’s so much going on in the sport outside of the cars driving for two hours on a Sunday afternoon.”

Speaking of Formula 1 cars driving on a Sunday afternoon, the next time they will get the chance to do that will be at Imola, with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix taking place on May 21.