Formula 1 fans will see a new face on their screens when they tune into the sixth season of “Drive To Survive” this week.
Danica Patrick, the pioneering former NASCAR and IndyCar driver, whose slate of controversies are as prolific as her racing career, was tapped to join the roster of talking heads on Netflix’s popular docuseries.
Co-executive producer Tom Rogers told The Post that Patrick’s polarizing views didn’t factor into the decision to have her join the lineup of pundits, which includes presenter Will Buxton and former deputy team principal Claire Williams.
“We attempt to focus on the stories of the sport and with Danica, she brings a great perspective of … what it’s like to drive a racing car … and the challenges of the sport,” he explained.
“The periphery to that is less important for us in the sense that she’s bringing a good contribution to the story,” Rogers added.
“I think she does a really good job explaining to our viewers some of the thought processes that the drivers are going through.”
Rogers said the team behind “Drive To Survive,” which has been credited with boosting Formula 1’s global popularity since its premiere in 2019, was looking for new voices to reflect the “views and topics in the paddock.”
“Her background as a driver provides a really interesting perspective that we maybe haven’t tapped into before,” he said.
Though she’s among the world’s most successful women in motorsport after winning an IndyCar race and finishing third at the 2009 Indy 500, Patrick is no stranger to controversy.
She has previously come under fire her her “insensitive” remarks about former competitors, apparent support of Donald Trump, and for platforming conspiracy theories about aliens secretly living among us and UFOs being kept from the public.
However, Patrick copped the most backlash from the Formula 1 community after she remarked that it was “not normal” for the “feminine mind” to be geared towards success in motorsport.
“I think that the nature of the sport is masculine. It’s aggressive,” she said at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
“You have to, you know, handle the car – not only just the car because that’s skill, but the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind, a female mind,” she added.
“Formula 1: Drive to Survive” Season 6 premieres on Feb. 23.
