'Sport's greatest soap opera' has gained a new cast member in the form of Lewis Hamilton's love interest – and Formula One expert Will Buxton is all for it

They call it ‘sport’s greatest soap opera’ – and these days it’s even got its own Kardashian. No wonder Formula One is more popular than ever.

With 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli on the brink of becoming the youngest ever world champ, it’s a busy time for insider Will Buxton, the host of hit Netflix show Formula 1: Drive To Survive. Here he tells Meg Jorsh about the highs, the lows and the scandals of the ‘travelling circus’...

When Formula One rolls into Austin, Texas this weekend, there’s one face the world will be looking for. It won’t be one of the 22 drivers, despite their lavish lifestyles and salaries running into tens of millions of pounds. It won’t even be the bosses, who come fully equipped with their own eccentricities and intrigues.

Nope, it’s going to be Kim Kardashian. The reality star, 46, has been making waves on the circuit since April, when she hard-launched her romance with Lewis Hamilton on Instagram. And in a sport that’s all about big personalities, it looks like the perfect match.

Racing expert Will Buxton has known Lewis since the mid-2000s – and he couldn’t be happier for the Ferrari driver.

“If he’s found love, you can’t not be happy for the guy,” he says. “You know, with anybody, when you see that smile stretched across their face, it puts a smile on your face. Because what’s more lovely than love?”

When Will first met Lewis, he was still coming up in the ranks as a Formula 3 driver. He admits the 41-year-old is “very different” now, but insists he’s still a nice lad from Stevenage at heart.

“I don’t think he’s changed all that much, he just loves his racing,” adds Will. “He’s a very private guy, with a close group of friends that he holds very dear.

“There’s the guy at the racetracks, a version of the guy that we’re allowed to see. I think the guy away from the track is probably quite different, but he’s a good soul.”

And given the bizarre life of the average F1 driver, you can hardly blame Lewis for adapting. The stars are treated like living gods by fans – but their places at the top are precarious at best.

“There are 22 drivers in Formula One,” Will explains. “That’s it. 22 seats, 22 teams, the same people going to places. It can become quite incestuous.

“These drivers start racing go-karts at age four, five, six, then try to get up the ladder through Formula 4 and Formula 3 and Formula 2 to get to Formula One. Thousands are left on the scrap heap every year.

“So if a driver isn’t doing well, they fear they’re going to lose their seat and everything they’ve worked for since they were six years old. They will fight tooth and nail to hang onto that dream.”

That high-stakes combination of cash, speed and pressure makes the racing world the perfect breeding ground for drama. It’s the premise at the heart of Will’s Netflix documentary series Formula 1 : Drive To Survive, as well as his podcast Up To Speed.

Will says: “For the longest time, I think Formula One struggled to appeal to the masses because it focused so much on technology rather than personality. Then along came Drive To Survive and I think it completely changed the way sports documentaries are made.

“Suddenly these young, good-looking millionaire daredevils who were going out and racing Formula One cars – we got to know them, and understand them, and feel their pain and ride the highs and lows with them.”

That includes the bitter rivalries between drivers who, unlike in most sports, are always trying hardest to beat the other member of their own team. There’s plenty of corporate skullduggery as well, with bosses trying to nick each other’s staff and designs.

Will says: “Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were childhood best friends and ended up despising each other in Formula One as teammates, to the point where they started making contact and smashing each other off the racetrack. Like, it’s a real soap opera. It’s brilliant, it’s such fun.”

Of course, a racing driver is unlikely to be all that relatable. To reach the top-flight requires millions of pounds of investment, whether that’s from a wealthy family or a corporate benefactor.

Kimi Antonelli, the Italian prodigy tipped to win at Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, was scouted as a child and won the backing of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. But it’s worth pointing out that he’s also the son of racing driver Marco Antonelli.

Will admits: “There’s a kind of social awkwardness that comes with it, because they’ve never lived a normal life. They’ve been told from the earliest days that they are the best, because you have to believe that.

“And this goes for the guy who qualifies 22 ^nd and finishes 22 ^nd . He fervently believes, in his heart, that he is the best racing driver that has ever walked the planet.”

• Up To Speed is available to watch and listen to now on YouTube, Global Player and all major podcast platforms.