Why you won't see much of Mercedes and Ferrari in F1 Netflix series

News of Netflix releasing a 10-part documentary looking into the 2018 Formula 1 season has excited plenty of fans, but enthusiasm may be tempered after it emerged that neither of the sport's two biggest teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, are prominent in the series after refusing filmmakers access.

It means that the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel will take a back seat in the series, with the teams who allowed access given more prominent coverage.

The main thread of the season missing from the show comes as a "disservice to the fans and the sport" admit those connected with the project, and serves as a blow to Liberty Media, who may have hoped to use the series to promote F1 in the United States in particular.

"Mercedes and Ferrari wanted to operate under different terms to the rest of the teams, and us, as producers, and Netflix as the broadcasting platform, didn't feel comfortable with that," executive producer Paul Martin told the Press Association.

"It was going to be all-or-nothing and if those terms were good enough for the eight other teams, it should have been good enough for Mercedes and Ferrari, too.

"My view is that they did a slight disservice to the fans and the sport by not taking part."

In response, Mercedes claimed that their absence from the process was driven by their desire to maintain focus on their battle on the track.

A statement read: "Competing for the world championship is an all-consuming business that demands every ounce of focus from the entire team; we are driven first and foremost by performance in every decision we make."

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