A documentary series titled More than Machine, which follows M-Sport’s journey in this season’s World Rally Championship, has been released on YouTube.
In the series, rally fans get a behind-the-scenes look, much like in Drive to Survive. The Formula 1 documentary series has been released on Netflix for several seasons now. More than Machine has been the WRC’s counterpart to the series and has succeeded well in this role.
“There’s been, I think, a lot of opportunity for fans to see new stuff here. And, you know, some of the stuff you see in that episode is stuff that we don’t even get to see as the team,” said M-Sport’s team principal Richard Millener to RallyJournal.com.
“It’s literally letting people into their houses, to see what’s really happening behind the scenes and get different viewpoints and different reactions,” Millener added.
Drivers and teams are under intense pressure during competitions and may not have much time for fans and the media. Between and after competitions, however, the atmosphere is more relaxed.
“Because even when you talk with the drivers and the team at the event, when they come to reflect on it away from the rally, it’s a very different kind of feeling. And this is what the series has tried to capture,” Millener said.
“I think it’s important that we show this. I mean, this is really what people enjoy seeing,” Millener continued.
But there have been challenges. Allowing cameras to reveal very intimate, internal aspects of the team isn’t easy.
“It’s so different from what we normally see. And it was quite a big mentality change and shift for the team to allow some cameras into their lives. Because there’s a fine line between telling a story and creating a show that can feel a bit fake. So we wanted to tell a story, and that was that. And to do it the way we have, you have to be able to show the good things and the bad things, and showing some of what we’re showing is quite tricky for me and for us to do,” Millener admitted.
