Formula 1 fans around the world have probably heard of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. It’s how many new followers of the sport came to know of F1, and has been a huge success for both F1 and Netflix too. With season 4 of Drive to Survive set to premiere later today (11 March), Apple has recently also announced that they’re joining the F1 frenzy by landing a deal to show a new documentary on Lewis Hamilton on Apple TV+.
The yet-unnamed Lewis Hamilton feature documentary will showcase the life and career of the seven-time Formula One world champion, with full access to him and his team on and off the track. It will also feature a list of guest interviews. Currently the only Black driver to have raced in Formula One, Hamilton succeeded in the sport despite coming from a working class background in a sport where typically money matters a lot. He is currently in his 16th Formula One season with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team, and has spent most of his career in the limelight of the sport.
Hamilton himself will be one of the producers of the documentary, along with Canadian Penni Thow. Thow had founded the investment and talent advisory firm Copper, with interests in sports, media, fashion and entertainment, and doubles as Hamilton’s media talents manager. Thow was also a former executive vice-president of SB Projects, a separate media and entertainment company. Box to Box Films and One Community are also producing the documentary. Richard Plepler, the former CEO of HBO, acts as the executive producer through his current company Eden Productions, while Scott Budnick, executive producer of The Hangover, joins him. British filmmaker Matt Kay will direct it.
It’s the latest in Apple’s continued investment of sports-related content on Apple TV+. Just a few days ago, Apple had announced that they had partnered up with Major League Baseball to offer ‘Friday Night Baseball’. Apple TV+ subscribers in the US can now watch two MLB matches during the regular season every Friday, along with a new live show providing additional coverage and highlights.
As for the Hamilton documentary, it’ll likely not compete with Drive to Survive in terms of viewership. Instead, fans of Formula One are likely happy to see more content about their favourite sport being made. There’s no word just yet on when it’ll launch, but for Malaysians who want to watch do note that Apple TV+ will cost you RM19.90 per month.
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