If you look up any piece of Formula 1 media on the internet, you’re bound to see a comment calling someone a “DTS fan.” This insult refers to the Netflix documentary show “Drive To Survive,” which has chronicled F1 seasons since 2018.
The insult is usually used by people who think they’re better than everyone else for getting into F1 through more “authentic” means, like if their dad liked it, or anything else they deem as a better entry point to a sport than a Netflix show. And to that, I say: Who cares?
Gatekeeping may be a big reason the F1 fanbase seems so inaccessible for many — God forbid someone likes watching the sport for the random drama rather than the fascinating temperature of the tires of the McLaren car on lap 30 of the British Grand Prix.
As someone who loves watching F1, it annoys me to see so much gatekeeping there is within the fanbase. Besides, F1 has been on a downward spiral since the GOAT Sebastian Vettel retired three years ago, so there’s nothing much to gatekeep anyway.
