Best racing films and box sets to stream on Netflix, Amazon and iPlayer — updated

Whilst anyone with a basic knowledge of grand prix racing will have to endure explanations of how F1 works every five minutes, the level of detail and behind-the-scenes footage still makes it highly viewable.

A unique selling point of this new series is that for the first time ever Mercedes and Ferrari have allowed behind the scenes access, the former for two episodes and the latter for one.

The Mercedes episode is suitably melodramatic, with the team mourning over a disastrous weekend at Hockenheim. If you can survive the team going into buzzword overkill in an attempt to drag themselves out of a motoring-mire of despondency, then it certainly does make for an interesting watch.

You also get to see Haas go into full-on meltdown, the Red Bull young driver pressure-cooker in full swing and Renault bring superstition into its bid for elite-level sporting performance.

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Driven: The Billy Monger Story

iPlayer

Heart-warming, uplifting, touching. It’s easy to trot out such cliched adjectives when documenting triumph through adversity, but it really does apply to the incredible Billy Monger. Few have a tale quite like his.

Monger made international news when he suffered a life-changing F4 crash in 2017. The accident resulted in him having to have both his legs amputated.

For most, the prospect of coming to terms with a series disability would be a daunting enough prospect, never mind trying to get a burgeoning racing career back on track.

This film charts him doing both, with his efforts and just rewards being nothing short of inspirational.

Once Monger gets a handle on every day life (which he does remarkably quickly), we see just how determined he is to get back to serious racing.

He has meetings with the FIA, conducts ground-breaking simulator work in a machine adapted to his needs and then secures a contract with a top-level team.

His efforts are justifiably lauded by the racing world, with Lewis Hamilton making several appearances in the documentary in a show of his support.

What’s also incredible is that Monger began making this documentary just three months after his horrifying crash, another tribute to the incredible strength and determination of the young racer.

The singularly inspiring nature of this documentary makes it required watching for any race fan.

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Rush

Netflix

Few reading this will have not seen Rush since it was released in 2013.

But in case your memories are blurred, the film pits playboy racer James Hunt against the exemplary professional Niki Lauda, the backdrop being their 1976 F1 title battle.

The story has been overdramatised for effect; it’s fairly well known that Hunt and Lauda were on reasonably good terms as far as F1 adversaries go.

However, Hollywood has never let facts like this get in the way of a good story, and what results is a rather entertaining film.

The picture is both exciting and aesthetically pleasing – the ideal re-watch when any grand prix gets cancelled.

To be fair, Lauda did say Rush was “80 per cent right”, so who’s going to argue with a three-time world champion?

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Uppity: The Willy T Ribbs Story

Netflix

Uppity tells the story of Willy T Ribbs, the first black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

Fighting against deeply-ingrained racism in America and particularly the NASCAR scene, Ribbs fought his way up to the highest echelons of motorsport.

Apart from Ribbs being a highly engaging and charismatic racer, the story of this film is about one black man’s fight against the racism ingrained in a whole sporting culture.

Despite death-threats, less-than-welcoming colleagues and his cars even being sabotaged by his own team, Ribbs managed to forge a successful career in the US.

The film is propelled along by contemporary interviews with Ribbs, the San Jose-native leaning in to whisper at key moments and add dramatic effect to what is an already great story.

Other contributions from key figures – such as Bernie Ecclestone, who handed Ribbs a Brabham test opportunity, illustrate what a unique journey Ribbs’ was.

With a compelling narrative and plenty of archive footage, the film strikes a more upbeat tone than many of the more wistful documentaries on similar subjects.

Ribbs was a true trailblazer, making Uppity certainly worth the watch.

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The 24 Hour War

Netflix

Motorsport fans were recently treated to a dramatic portrayal of Ford taking on Ferrari at Le Sarthe with Le Mans 66.

Three years prior to the Hollywood blockbuster came the well-received 24 Hour War documentary on the same subject.

There’s a strong argument for saying 24 Hour War is the ‘real’ story of Le Mans.

Although the weigh-in of (at the time) the world’s biggest car maker taking on a tiny company from Maranello might seem a bit one-sided, it makes for a great tale nonetheless.

The film gives greater detail of the build-up to Le Mans ’66, detailing the GT40’s development and victories at other famous races, in addition to a fascinating history of the two marque’s opposing ideas towards racing. The rivalry’s continuation after the first Ford win is also documented.

The 24 Hour War was well-received by critics and is deserving of its praise, combining thorough research, unseen footage and high-profile interviews. A film that features contributions from Mario Andretti, John Surtees and Dan Gurney is certainly deserving of any petrolhead’s consideration.

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Crash and Burn

Amazon – included with Prime

Tommy Byrne must be the only person bold enough to have stolen Ayrton Senna’s car wheels.

His pithy summary of his own career “it hasn’t been a terrible life, I just lost out on about a hundred million dollars” lets you know this is not your average race documentary.

The hair-raising tale of the Northern Irish firebrand rise to the top of motorsport and then his almost equally meteoric fall ultimately makes for a brilliant film.

Talking heads such as Eddie Jordan, Martin Brundle and Gary Anderson assure the viewer that Byrne had all the talent to make it as an elite driver, it was just everything else about him that was the problem.

Bryne’s amusingly sarcastic verdict on Senna “you would have thought he was the second coming of Christ” is a refreshing antidote to the usual deification of the Brazilian, correlating with everything else that is unconventional about this intriguing racing character.

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Hunt v Lauda

iPlayer

You’ve seen story of Rush embellished for dramatic effect, but what really happened in F1’s greatest rivalry?

Well, as F1 seasons go, 1976 is fairly hard to beat.

Back then, F1 was an unashamed globe-girdling circus, with inter-team skull-duggery, Carry-On-style racing antics and cigarette-smoking podium finishers being the order of the day.

Playboy James Hunt is elevated to top team McLaren as they look to upset the Niki Lauda – Ferrari axis. The two battle it out fiercely as the championship progresses, before rioting crowds, Lauda being read the Last Rites (twice) and a monsoon-themed season finale all make for an incredible year.

The documentary covers manages to convey the excitement of perhaps the definitive F1 season without ever overdramatising it.

In contrast to Rush, Hunt v Lauda also highlights that though the pair might have been chalk and cheese, they had a strong mutual respect – getting on usually well for F1 adversaries.

The film is worth watching just for the stunning archive footage alone, with the McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus cars all being iconic vehicles in their own right.

A perfect accompaniment to Rush, Hunt v Lauda tells the story of 1976 as it really was.

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Le Mans: Racing is Everything

Amazon – included with Prime

Although the perception of Le Mans as motorsport achievement has changed since 1966, it still holds its own unique allure.

This series, possibly viewed by Netflix as a template for Drive to Survive, shows exactly what it takes to win the 24-hour enduro in the modern day.