Country's fastest man backs Drive to Survive effect

Britain's fastest man Zharnel Hughes has backed the 'Drive to Survive' effect to increase interesting in sprinting and athletics, much the way it brought a new audience to Formula 1.

Drive to Survive is arguably Netflix's most successful ongoing docu-series, and has pulled in an entirely new audience for the sport by focusing on the personalities behind the wheel and on the pit wall.

The streaming giant is launching a new NASCAR series later this month too, looking to replicate the success they've had in open-wheel racing.

The as-yet-unnamed track and field series doesn't have its own release date yet, but Anguilla-born Hughes has been looking at the F1 series as a potential roadmap.

READ MORE: Netflix release trailer for NASCAR's Drive to Survive rival

Hughes: Documentary will have Drive to Survive impact

“I love the experience I’ve had with them,” Hughes told The Guardian. “I definitely think there’s a lot of spice in there that people will gravitate to. And I’m pretty sure you’ll hear some backlash with regards to how people talk about how they get prepared for races and so forth too.

“Most definitely it’ll have the impact of Drive to Survive. Netflix is very popular. People watched the world champs, but you didn’t see the warm up. You didn’t know what really happened behind the scenes. Netflix got every single bit.

“It’s great exposure for our sport. I think it’ll draw more attention, which we actually need. So it’s a good thing.”

READ MORE: Steiner opens up on Drive to Survive impact on Haas decision

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