Brawn GP Docuseries Reaction & Review | Grid Walk November 22, 2023

The story of the Brawn GP Formula 1 team is one of the most amazing stories in F1 history! With Keanu Reeves, Disney + and Hulu released a docuseries called Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story. Grid Walk is here with a special bonus episode to share initial reactions to the Brawn GP docuseries!

On the bonus episode of Grid Walk, Briana talks about her reaction and thoughts about the entire Brawn GP mini series. What things did the Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story do really well? Is the Brawn GP docuseries worth watching for longtime F1 fans? Were the members of the F1 community interviewed for the Brawn GP series the right choice?

Make sure to share you thoughts on Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story! We would love to hear your thoughts on the series? What F1 story would you like to see Keanu Reeves cover next

This is a special bonus episode of Grid Walk for the Brawn GP docuseries. The usual Grid Walk episode was released on Monday in honor of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Make sure to check out that episode if you haven’t yet! Grid Walk will be back to its original Thursday episodes next week!

Grid Walk is a weekly Formula 1 show that releases every Thursday. For daily F1 content follow @gridwalkshow on all social media platforms.

In this solo episode, Briana L. Klein shares her thoughts and feelings on the recently released Braun GP docuseries. She begins by acknowledging the length of the series, expressing that it could have been condensed to three hours. However, she praises the docuseries for its comprehensive coverage of various aspects of Formula One, including the technical regulations, business dynamics, and on-track battles.

Klein commends the in-depth explanation of the double diffuser, a crucial technical innovation that played a significant role in Brawn GP's success. She highlights the effort put into making complex concepts understandable for a general audience. She also emphasizes the importance of the interviews featured in the series, which provide diverse perspectives from key figures involved in the 2009 Formula One season.

Klein lauds the use of reenactments in the docuseries, which add a layer of drama and motion to the storytelling. She praises Keanu Reeves' narration, noting his suitable voice and genuine interest in racing. She also commends the editing and music for effectively conveying the emotions of the series.

Overall, Klein highly recommends the docuseries, particularly to sports fans who may not be familiar with Formula One. She compares it to ESPN's acclaimed 30 for 30 series, emphasizing the incredible story and its captivating presentation. Klein concludes by inviting listeners to share their thoughts and opinions on the docuseries in the comments section.

[00:00.000 -> 00:04.880] I've tried to start this episode so many times, and it's not that I'm not used to recording,
[00:04.880 -> 00:07.680] it's that I am very much not used to recording by myself.
[00:08.400 -> 00:12.240] Nicole, very understandably, had a family thing come up this week.
[00:12.880 -> 00:18.800] So I'm sitting here in front of the camera recording by myself,
[00:18.800 -> 00:22.480] which makes me much more nervous than when I just get to hang out with Nicole
[00:22.480 -> 00:27.580] and we get to be goofy and silly and fun and funny for you for a gridwalk episode. But we've
[00:27.580 -> 00:31.240] been talking on the episodes for weeks that this Thursday this week we're gonna
[00:31.240 -> 00:35.740] do a Braun GP docuseries reaction, response, thoughts, feelings, all the
[00:35.740 -> 00:42.340] things, and I didn't want to not post that episode even if I had to face my
[00:42.340 -> 00:45.200] fear and sit here uncomfortably by myself.
[00:45.200 -> 00:50.600] So please bear with me. I will probably cut out in the edit all the really bad
[00:50.600 -> 00:55.120] stumbles, ums, ahs, etc. But I still wanted to talk to you all about my thoughts and
[00:55.120 -> 01:00.800] feelings about the Brawn episode. Before I get into all of that, just some
[01:00.800 -> 01:04.400] programming notes. So Thursday next week we'll be back to our normal gridwalk
[01:04.400 -> 01:09.760] cadence. We are gonna do a post Abu Dhabi reaction review, talk about any
[01:09.760 -> 01:13.400] news that came out of that. After that we're gonna do a couple weeks of big
[01:13.400 -> 01:18.060] season reviews. We're gonna do teammate battles, we're gonna talk about car
[01:18.060 -> 01:20.560] development over the course of the season, and then of course we're gonna
[01:20.560 -> 01:27.720] preview 2024 Formula One because I can't believe the season is wrapping up and almost over right now.
[01:27.720 -> 01:31.160] And just because the season's wrapping up, the philosophy of Gridwalk is we're here with
[01:31.160 -> 01:32.920] you every week no matter what.
[01:32.920 -> 01:37.120] So there will be a Gridwalk episode every single Thursday through 2023.
[01:37.120 -> 01:44.160] We're going to take one week off in January to get things set up for season two of Gridwalk.
[01:44.160 -> 01:46.920] But besides that, and we'll let you know when that's coming,
[01:46.920 -> 01:48.880] there will still be Gridwalk every week,
[01:48.880 -> 01:53.080] even though the F1 season is wrapping up this week.
[01:53.080 -> 01:55.560] Because even though the season on track wraps up,
[01:55.560 -> 01:58.520] I think we all know that F1 just still likes to be
[01:58.520 -> 02:01.520] its chaotic self all the time.
[02:01.520 -> 02:04.840] If this is the first Gridwalk episode you're stumbling onto,
[02:04.840 -> 02:06.540] hi, welcome, hello.
[02:06.540 -> 02:08.820] Normally we do Thursday Gridwalk episodes,
[02:08.820 -> 02:10.540] it's me, my co-host Nicole,
[02:10.540 -> 02:13.660] where we talk about everything up and down the grid.
[02:13.660 -> 02:14.860] Not just what's on track,
[02:14.860 -> 02:17.340] but we definitely talk a lot about what's on track,
[02:17.340 -> 02:19.940] but also what's happening in pop culture, in business,
[02:19.940 -> 02:22.160] all the areas of Formula One.
[02:22.160 -> 02:24.060] So make sure if you're watching on YouTube,
[02:24.060 -> 02:25.600] hi, hello, please subscribe,
[02:25.600 -> 02:30.240] like this video. These are things that help immensely. Also leave a comment on what your
[02:30.240 -> 02:34.160] thoughts were about the Braun docu-series. I would love to chat with you all in the comments.
[02:34.160 -> 02:39.200] And if you're listening on audio, hit that follow button. Auto-downloads. Honestly, I can't begin
[02:39.200 -> 02:43.200] to tell you how much an auto-download helped us. And drop a review. Let us know what you think
[02:43.200 -> 02:46.160] about Greg Watt. That is enough rambling for me.
[02:46.160 -> 02:48.320] Let's get into my thoughts and feelings
[02:48.320 -> 02:49.440] about this docuseries.
[02:50.600 -> 02:55.600] This docuseries was much longer and more complete
[02:57.040 -> 02:58.720] than I think I expected.
[02:58.720 -> 03:01.600] So it was four nearly hour-long episodes.
[03:01.600 -> 03:02.880] This was done by Disney.
[03:02.880 -> 03:05.600] So I watched, I'm in America, so watched it on Hulu.
[03:06.240 -> 03:11.760] And I did feel like it was a little long. That's not my main takeaway from this, but four hours of
[03:11.760 -> 03:17.040] television, I felt like it could have been condensed down to like a really solid three. I felt like in
[03:17.040 -> 03:22.560] the middle, like the very end of episode two, and a lot of episode three, I was like, okay, we can speed
[03:22.560 -> 03:30.160] this along. But I do think a lot of that was me already knowing the story. And despite knowing the story and everything that happened
[03:30.160 -> 03:37.760] in the 2009 season, it was so much fun to watch. And I thought they did such an incredible job
[03:37.760 -> 03:48.000] of not just laying out how Formula One works, but explaining the business behind it and the relationship between the teams and the FIA
[03:48.000 -> 03:55.440] and Bernie at the time. And like, that is a very complicated relationship that is not how most
[03:55.440 -> 04:08.720] American sports operate. So even though this is something I live and breathe and love, which is the business side of F1, I know that that's not a common area of the sport
[04:08.720 -> 04:12.120] that a lot of people know as much about.
[04:12.120 -> 04:14.700] So if drive to survive,
[04:14.700 -> 04:18.320] if drive to survive is the entry drug into formula one,
[04:18.320 -> 04:22.760] I really felt like this docu-series was like the level two.
[04:22.760 -> 04:24.120] Like this is what I'll show to people
[04:24.120 -> 04:27.600] who have a little bit of interest. Maybe they've seen an episode or two of Drive to
[04:27.600 -> 04:33.800] Survive, and I know that like the drama and the sponsorship side and the
[04:33.800 -> 04:38.560] business side and I know if I know that that will interest them, this will be
[04:38.560 -> 04:42.480] like the second level. Where maybe they're not watching every weekend yet
[04:42.480 -> 04:48.320] but they like Drive to Survive,. This really gives you like that second layer of knowledge.
[04:48.320 -> 04:53.320] I was also shocked at how in depth they went in episode one
[04:53.980 -> 04:55.660] into the double diffuser.
[04:55.660 -> 04:57.840] Now, of course, if you're an engineer
[04:57.840 -> 05:00.320] or a really big F1 tech person,
[05:00.320 -> 05:02.960] it wasn't the most robust explanation,
[05:02.960 -> 05:07.000] but it was a lot more than I thought they were ever going to do.
[05:07.000 -> 05:12.000] I thought they were just going to say something general like it existed and they got it right.
[05:12.000 -> 05:27.940] But they spent what felt like at least 30 minutes getting into the technical regulations and why it didn't fall under the regulations or why it could have fallen under the regulations or what could have fallen under the regulations. And they showed F1 car models and explained downforce to people.
[05:27.940 -> 05:34.620] And again, very preliminary explanations, but succinct, easy to understand
[05:34.640 -> 05:37.980] explanations, and that was one of the things I took away from this entire
[05:37.980 -> 05:43.440] docu-series that I was floored at how well, in my opinion, they explained
[05:43.480 -> 05:46.240] all the different facets of Formula One,
[05:46.240 -> 05:50.480] like everything from the glitz glam celebrity of it,
[05:50.480 -> 05:52.560] the intense battles on track,
[05:52.560 -> 05:54.680] but also the technical business, et cetera.
[05:54.680 -> 05:55.800] Like I'm gonna keep harping on that
[05:55.800 -> 05:58.080] because I think that was my favorite part of it
[05:58.080 -> 06:02.880] was how well-rounded this docuseries was.
[06:02.880 -> 06:07.680] In my opinion, they got every interview that you had to get in order
[06:07.680 -> 06:19.720] to tell this story effectively. I didn't... I think Formula One is so complicated and
[06:19.720 -> 06:26.480] admittedly so shady that it is impossible to get into all the details of everything. I think
[06:26.480 -> 06:34.240] they told a general audience viewer just enough about who Bernie Ecclestone was that I think
[06:34.240 -> 06:43.760] you might get the vibe that he wasn't the most straight up guy. But I don't think, like
[06:43.760 -> 06:45.000] there's a definite,
[06:45.360 -> 06:47.960] can be a seedy underbelly to a lot of this.
[06:47.960 -> 06:50.000] And I think they just grazed the surface
[06:50.000 -> 06:52.240] because you have to, if, you know,
[06:52.240 -> 06:53.520] you're gonna tell a succinct story
[06:53.520 -> 06:55.360] about one year of Formula One,
[06:55.360 -> 06:57.080] like how do you get into all the politics
[06:57.080 -> 06:59.080] and all the details behind all of it?
[07:00.360 -> 07:03.640] But I loved, I loved watching these people
[07:03.640 -> 07:05.000] skirt around questions. I loved watching a people skirt around questions.
[07:06.060 -> 07:08.860] I loved watching a lot of people who gave interviews
[07:10.660 -> 07:13.500] double down on old felt beliefs
[07:13.500 -> 07:15.500] that you can tell they still feel.
[07:16.420 -> 07:19.740] I thought the Honda side of it was fascinating.
[07:19.740 -> 07:22.560] Like you needed those voices.
[07:22.560 -> 07:27.440] Like I was really impressed that they got what felt like every interview
[07:27.440 -> 07:33.360] they should have gotten to tell this story well. And I didn't fully expect all the Honda voices.
[07:34.560 -> 07:47.880] I loved the reenactments. I loved how they made it all feel so dramatic and they were able to do that by reenacting bronze signing contracts and having
[07:48.480 -> 07:50.040] what we saw preview pictures of,
[07:50.040 -> 07:53.040] which was Jensen in the suit at the car at Silverstone.
[07:53.040 -> 07:57.640] Like just, it added a layer of motion and drama to this
[07:57.640 -> 08:00.000] that you wouldn't have gotten
[08:00.000 -> 08:02.440] if we were just getting the old F1 footage
[08:02.440 -> 08:03.520] and the interviews.
[08:03.520 -> 08:06.780] Like it was just a well done documentary in my opinion.
[08:06.780 -> 08:08.460] Keanu was a great narrator.
[08:08.460 -> 08:09.880] One, just cause he has a great voice for it,
[08:09.880 -> 08:13.580] but two, he seems to really like racing.
[08:13.580 -> 08:16.340] Like that's something that is known about him.
[08:16.340 -> 08:18.500] This seems to be a story he was passionate about
[08:18.500 -> 08:19.340] and he's an actor.
[08:19.340 -> 08:20.980] So even if it wasn't,
[08:20.980 -> 08:23.420] he did a great job conveying the emotion of it,
[08:23.420 -> 08:26.560] being just snarky enough in interviews.
[08:26.560 -> 08:31.560] I'm always floored at how these things are edited together
[08:32.000 -> 08:33.280] because that's gonna hit the emotion,
[08:33.280 -> 08:34.220] the music in the background.
[08:34.220 -> 08:37.080] So all the people who did the score,
[08:37.080 -> 08:39.280] who did the editing, in my opinion,
[08:39.280 -> 08:42.240] hammered home the emotions of the series.
[08:43.160 -> 08:48.160] Overall, I'm going to be recommending this documentary
[08:48.160 -> 08:53.760] to most people in my life who are just sports fans. ESPN's 30 for 30s are
[08:53.760 -> 08:58.960] a staple in my life, in my household, in the people I interact with. There's
[08:58.960 -> 09:03.200] so many people I know we just will watch any 30 for 30 and this really falls in
[09:03.200 -> 09:06.760] that category where it's just like one of the most incredible stories
[09:06.760 -> 09:09.820] And it was so much fun to revisit it
[09:10.880 -> 09:12.960] So I'm sure if Nicole was here
[09:12.960 -> 09:17.420] We would probably talk about this for at least 35 more minutes because Nicole has this
[09:17.840 -> 09:23.720] Amazing skill of saying something that sparks like 16 thoughts in my brain that I'm gonna want to talk about
[09:23.880 -> 09:27.840] So I know when things settle down for her and we get to talk about this,
[09:27.840 -> 09:29.200] she's going to say one of those things.
[09:29.200 -> 09:34.200] I'm going to be like, crap, we, I wish I said that on the special brawn episode.
[09:34.880 -> 09:39.440] If you missed it on Monday, we already dropped the Las Vegas GP
[09:39.440 -> 09:42.320] recap review extravaganza.
[09:42.320 -> 09:43.760] So definitely go check that out.
[09:43.760 -> 09:45.280] We talked everything Vegas GP.
[09:46.080 -> 09:54.080] We also talked about the Andretti GM news and our first look at the 2026 regulation car images that
[09:54.080 -> 10:00.720] were leaked out by AMUS. So make sure you go check out that episode and subscribe, like, follow.
[10:00.720 -> 10:05.120] Depending on whatever platform you are we will be back next Thursday to talk all things
[10:05.120 -> 10:10.880] Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. So I want to hear all of your thoughts about the Bron GP. Let me know what
[10:10.880 -> 10:15.840] you agree with me on, what you don't agree with me on. I just want to hear all your thoughts in
[10:15.840 -> 10:21.360] the comments. So look forward to chatting with you there. And most importantly, thank you, thank you,
[10:21.360 -> 10:28.760] thank you for bearing with me and Nicole. I'm sure I'm going to love editing all of this footage back.
[10:28.760 -> 10:32.920] I'm sure I looked incredibly uncomfortable because it was just me this week.
[10:33.400 -> 10:36.480] But please send Nicole well wishes if you can.
[10:36.840 -> 10:38.520] And we'll talk to you next Thursday.
[10:42.160 -> 10:44.160] You