After two years of cancellations, crowds flocked to Albert Park over the weekend for the start of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Over four days, the event topped an attendance of 419,000, making it the biggest crowd since the race moved from Adelaide to Melbourne, while organisers also said it broke the record for most people at any Formula 1 grand prize anywhere in the world since the start of the pandemic.
Naturally, we’d like to believe it’s something about the Australian sunshine and the warm welcome one receives Down Under, but the fact is Formula 1 has become something of a major sport, drawing huge crowds from around the world. Despite being something of a niche sporting interest in decades past, the drivers taking to the racing track now boast the kind of following on social media you’d expect of the world’s top NBA stars and pop artists. Much of this is thanks to the hugely popular Netflix series, Drive to Survive, which made racing accessible to the masses, showcasing not only the difficulty drivers and their teams face during competition, but the intense dedication required in training.
Now, that same inside-look is being granted to the world of surfing, with Apple TV+ announcing the upcoming release of Make Or Break, which has already been greenly for a second season ahead of its premiere. The docuseries will explore the aspirations, challenges, accomplishments and personal lives of the surfers competing in the 2021 Men’s and Women’s WSL Championship Tour, offering access to surfing’s elite that has never been seen before.
According to Apple, “The [first season] follows the 2021 competition, navigating as the league responds to the global pandemic. While exploring the dynamic surfing culture along with timely issues, including diversity, mental health, and the physical impact of the sport.”
Not surprisingly, the world of surfing has given us some globally recognised sports stars, many of which will be featured in the series. You can expect appearances from 11-time world champion and 56-time career victory winner Kelly Slater, seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, three-time world champion Gabriel Medina, and two-time world champion Tyler Wright, amongst countless others.
The series has been produced in collaboration between Apple and Box To Box Films, in partnership with the WSL Championship Tour; with Oscar and BAFTA winner James Gay-Rees (Exit Through the Gift Shop, Amy, Drive to Survive), BAFTA nominee Paul Martin (also Drive to Survive), executive producing alongside WSL CEO Erik Logan and Ryan Holcomb.
Make Or Break hits Apple TV+ on April 29, 2022.
