"Driving to Survive" the Fork in the Road: Where Do Sports Docs Go From Here?
How an Unlikely Genre Could Reshape The Future of Sports Docs
In our last post of 2024, we’re making a plea to the industry - No more talking about “Drive to Survive” in 2025!
Yes, it was groundbreaking. Yes, it played a pivotal role in globalizing Formula 1, introducing the sport to new audiences, particularly in the U.S., while humanizing drivers and turning them into relatable characters. Yes, it boosted fan engagement and helped drive commercial growth for the sport through new sponsorships and increased media presence. And yes, every sports league, team, and agent now thinks they can replicate its magic by slapping together a glossy, access-driven docuseries.
But here’s the problem: the formula is tired.
The sports documentary genre is stuck in a cycle of innovation, imitation, and saturation, a familiar pattern in media and beyond.
Drive to Survive was the innovation—a fresh take that unlocked unprecedented access and turned sports storytelling on its head.
Then came the imitators, following the same playbook, hoping to capture the same magic. Some worked; a lot did not.
Now, we’re deep into saturation with a glut sports docs that feel like pale imitations, chasing manufactured drama instead of finding real stories. The once-revolutionary storytelling approach is just plain stale, the very thing it disrupted.
Good News - This cycle isn’t unique to sports docs and we can point to an unlikely potential source of a blueprint for the future —> Cooking
We’ve seen it before with Top Chef and the explosion of food programming it inspired. When Top Chef first aired, it revolutionized food TV by taking a skill-based, high-stakes competition format and layering it with storytelling that humanized chefs and celebrated the artistry of cooking. Audiences loved it—and networks responded by flooding the market with similar shows. What started as a genre focused on culinary skill and creativity quickly devolved into a contest of spectacle: extreme challenges, conflict-driven editing, and shows like Cutthroat Kitchen, where gimmicks overshadowed the cooking itself. The result? Viewers burned out, and the genre risked irrelevance.
But food TV didn’t die—it evolved. The industry pivoted to new approaches: Chef’s Table brought cinematic storytelling and emotional depth, The Great British Baking Show charmed with its wholesome, low-stakes format, and niche shows embraced cultural authenticity and storytelling that connected with specific audiences.
The question now is: how can sports documentaries break free from this cycle? How do we rediscover what made Drive to Survive special and create something fresh, instead of settling for more of the same?
DISRUPTIVE PLAY - So, what can we learn from Top Chef about breaking through the noise and rediscovering what made Drive to Survive great? Let’s dig in.
1. Identify the Core Appeal
What made Top Chef work wasn’t just its competitive format—it was the way it humanized chefs, celebrated creativity, and brought viewers into a world of culinary expertise. Similarly, Drive to Survive offered unprecedented access to F1’s insular world while humanizing drivers who seemed untouchable.
The insight: Strip away the gimmicks and focus on the emotional connection. Ask: Why should audiences care about these people and their world?
2. Avoid Formula Fatigue
After Top Chef’s success, food TV started to lean too heavily on over-the-top challenges, conflict-driven editing, and repetitive formats. The result? Audiences tuned out. We’re already seeing a similar pattern in sports docs, where the formula of “access + drama = hit” risks feeling stale.
The insight: Don’t copy the blueprint. Instead, look for untold stories and unexplored formats.
3. Reframe the Lens
Food TV moved forward by exploring new perspectives: Chef’s Table brought an art-house sensibility, The Great British Baking Show charmed with its low-stakes warmth, and niche shows spotlighted specific cuisines or cultures. Sports documentaries can take a similar path by shifting focus—from athletes to coaches, officials, superfans, or even the business side of sports.
The insight: Pivot from chasing “big moments” to revealing overlooked angles or quieter emotions.
4. Lean into Emerging Subcultures
Just as food TV thrived by spotlighting niche trends like vegan cooking or food trucks, sports docs can succeed by exploring emerging or underserved communities. Think of sports where passion runs deep but mainstream attention is sparse.
The insight: Find subcultures with fervent audiences and elevate their stories.
5. Double Down on Authenticity
Both Top Chef and Drive to Survive succeeded because they respected their subjects. Top Chef celebrated cooking as an art form; Drive to Survive respected F1’s complexities without dumbing it down. Shows that chase spectacle at the expense of authenticity risk alienating the very fans they hope to attract.
The insight: Stay grounded in the truth of the sport or subculture. Let the drama come from the story, not the editing room.
6. Ride the Cultural Zeitgeist
Drive to Survive didn’t just succeed on its own merits—it arrived at the perfect time. Global streaming platforms, the rise of social media, and F1’s own expansion efforts made audiences primed for a deeper dive into the sport. Similarly, Top Chef rode the wave of “foodie culture” becoming mainstream.
The insight: Look for sports or subcultures intersecting with broader cultural trends, whether that’s sustainability, digital innovation, or the creator economy.
7. Innovate the Format
Food TV didn’t just reinvent itself on cable; it thrived on digital platforms with short-form videos, TikTok chefs, and livestreamed cooking tutorials. Sports content could follow suit by experimenting with interactive storytelling, fan engagement, or even AR/VR integrations.
The insight: Don’t limit the storytelling to traditional episodic formats. Build for a digital-native audience.
The Path Forward
The magic of Drive to Survive wasn’t in its formula but in its execution: it brought something fresh, authentic, and emotionally resonant to the table. As the sports documentary space grows crowded, the challenge isn’t to outdo the spectacle but to rediscover what makes a story worth telling.
Whether that means leaning into underserved sports, reframing the perspective, or embracing new formats, the key is to stop chasing the last big success and start asking: What’s next?
If we get it right, the next Drive to Survive won’t just replicate the formula—it will rewrite the rulebook for sports storytelling
Big thanks to my friends at Ultraboom that inspired this post