Toto Wolff explains why he "hated" Drive to Survive and what changed his mind

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff was speaking on the Autosport Business Exchange (ABX) in New York City on Wednesday, celebrating the rise of racing in America.

While Netflix's hit docuseries, Drive to Survive, has been a major factor in the sport's remarkable growth stateside, Wolff was among those who were skeptical at first.

Mercedes actually declined to participate in the first season, as did some other top teams in the paddock. 

"I started to watch and I hated it," admitted Wolff at ABX NYC.

When asked what he disliked about it, Wolff explained that he had sat down to watch an early Season 1 episode that focused on a rivalry between Spanish drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. The episode, titled 'The King of Spain,' irked Wolff for its over-dramatization of the battle between the two drivers.

"It was Fernando Alonso against Carlos Sainz, and it was made up," commented Wolff. "(Treating it) like this is the competition for the world championship and it was (over tenth in the driver standings) ... I thought, that's not for me. Switched it off. Didn't even watch the second one."

But Wolff's opinion on the show rapidly evolved as the 2019 season progressed.

"I got back to Europe and a friend of mine called me, and said that she would really like to come with her sons to the Austrian Grand Prix," continued Wolff. "And I said, how come. You've never been interested in Formula 1, and she said my sons love Drive to Survive."

It was in that moment that Wolff realized Netflix may have hit on something special, and ironically, the fact that the top teams refused to take part in the show helped them to do it.

"What happened was, because we didn't feature, it gave Netflix the opportunity to show smaller teams and drivers that were not so much in the spotlight," said Wolff. "I think that captured the audiences.

"In a way, what we did was right, but it wasn't the reason we did it."

Of course, seven seasons later, Drive to Survive remains central in F1's push to grow the sport and attract new audiences. Both the Mercedes F1 team and Wolff have become frequent guests on the docuseries. Those appearances helped to give team principals like Wolff a 'movie star' status similar to the drivers, according to Apple executive Eddy Cue, who was also speaking at ABX NYC.