F1 will hold a Virtual Grand Prix series to replace canceled races

While COVID-19 pandemic canceled the upcoming Formula One races, F1 will be airing a Virtual Grand Prix series in the meantime. The first virtual race will be held in place of Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix from 8:00 pm (GMT) on March 22 and will stream on F1's Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. The races will have current drivers and "stars" race against each other using the official 2019 Formula One game from Codemasters. F1 hasn't announced yet which drivers will be part of the series. The participants will use PC's and play remotely. The game will run at 50% distance to level the playing field between actual racers and sim drivers. 

F1 wanted to emphasize that the series will not have any effect on the World Championship. It's just meant to entertain fans during this trying time. The Virtual Grand Prix is going to replace race weekends until May, but we might expect it to extend if things don't improve by then.

'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' docuseries comes to Netflix on March 8th

Netflix and Formula 1 are giving us a look into the behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced sport with Formula 1: Drive to Survive. We get a look at the many dramatic moments of the 2018 F1 season when the original docuseries hits the streaming service on March 8th, which is about a week before the 2019 F1 season kicks off in Australia starting from March 14 to 16. The timing could lure in any potential new fans to check out the sport.

Executive producer James Gay-Rees is known for his work on Amy, the 2015 documentary about musician Amy Winehouse, as well as the docudrama Senna, which focused on the myth and impact of famous Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna.

Source: The Drive

Netflix and F1 to partner for 10-part documentary series on the 2018 season

Get ready to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest, most elite racing tournaments in the world. Formula One Group just signed a deal with Netflix Originals to produce a ten-part documentary series of the 2018 season to focus on “the intense fight for the heart, soul, and direction for the future of this multibillion-dollar business.” The streaming service is given “unparalleled and exclusive access” to the teams, drivers, paddock, and other key players in F1’s management, which for those who don’t know are currently at odds with teams like Ferrari and Mercedes about the future of the sport. As Sean Bratches, Formula 1’s managing director of Commercial Operations, said about the partnership, “The agreement with Netflix serves to chronicle the fascinating story of what transpires behind the scenes during a Grand Prix season. This is a perspective of the sport that has yet to be unveiled to fans around the world.” We’re sure to get some juicy stuff from this documentary.

The series will air on Netflix in 2019. One of the producers of the series is James Gay Rees, the producer of the award-winning feature-length documentary Senna, which tells the tale of the legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna. The series’ showrunner is Sophie Todd.

Source: The Drive

Documentaries on Formula One and Le Mans to stream on Amazon Prime Video

Photo courtesy of McLaren.com

Joining The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video are two motorsports-related documentaries. The new shows will focus on the McLaren Formula One team’s journey across the current F1 season and the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans race happening in June. The unnamed Formula One series will follow the McLaren F1 team on 20 stops as it tries to catch up with the rest of the pack following its new engine deal with Honda. It’ll show everything from how the cars are built and tested to how sponsorship and partnership deals are made.

Meanwhile, Le Mans: Racing is Everything will give Amazon “unprecedented access” to the entire 24-hour race. There will be film crews following around the Porsche, Nissan, Aston Martin, Audi, Rebellion, and Toyota teams. They’ll be tagging along some high-profile drivers including Mark Webber, Nico Prost, and the 19-year-old Jann Mardenborough, who won a slot courtesy of the GT Academy e-sports competition.

Source: The Verge