Race to Perfection

A collection of archival film and video, with some more or less related interviews interspersed. There is no real narrative structure underlaying the series, no sense that it has a director or a production vision.

Watching the first episode, viewers can think that a story - a narrative - is beginning to form, but then we're jolted into a completely other direction, with a different timeframe and different people involved. We scratch our heads wondering what happened. Did we fall asleep and miss something?

The subject is so rich in material, it's too bad that this is what F1 put out for its anniversary. But, maybe it's because Ecclestone still had a lot of sway at the time.

F1 still has a problem that it has not reckoned with, and that is its British bias. As it strains against these constraints, the Old Brit White Men (and other Old Men) work harder to maintain their power, their elitism, their misogyny and their prejudices.

This sloppy pseudo-documentary is a great display of that heritage.

Knowing a fair bit about F1 before viewing this series can help you enjoy the archives and, somewhat, the interviews. Know that you'll need to fill the many, many gaps. Also know that you're unlikely to learn anything new, and that there are much better resources for leaning about F1.

I have been working in racing during more than 49 years, among other as commentator/speaker both live and for direct media.

This TV-serie is a fantastic production. Probably the best ever.

Great thanks to the superpros that made it! 👍

OK, it's a vast subject to cover with just 7 episodes, so maybe I was expecting too much, but I was a bit disappointed with the first episode. I'd think this series would be mostly of interest to 'beginners to F1' wanting to learn more about its history, but alas I think it would confuse rather than educate. It was somewhat disjointed, with some important events shown out of sequence. Important characters featured (such as Bernie Ecclestone) should have been better 'explained' to the viewer. So it's really going to appeal mostly to those who already know the majority of the history, which kind of defeats the object. Maybe later episodes will get better?

At the beginning of every episode it seems the series has been made from an international point of view. But the longer you follow each episode the clearer it gets that this is made exclusively for British audience. Just watch and see. F1 is British

It's strange how a series on the history of F1can be made without covering the brilliance of Bruce McLaren and the team he created.