It is like Formula 1 is trying to out-do the Netflix cameras this season, given the current spate of swearing and angry rows witnessed across the grid.
The weekly sackings at the FIA are becoming more like The Apprentice television series, only with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, rather than Lord Alan Sugar, pulling the trigger on the unsuccessful candidate while uttering the line: “You’re fired!”
In fact, the situation is so bad at the FIA HQ that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made a tongue-in-cheek comment that “if you look at it in a positive way, it could have its own reality show with what's happening at the moment”.
Perhaps a Big Brother-style, discreet camera set-up at the organisation would at least allow us to have some understanding as to what is happening and being communicated.
At the Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and George Russell fell out like two jilted contenders on Love Island, with the former claiming he “lost all respect" for the Mercedes driver after a row in the stewards’ office, which resulted in the Red Bull driver losing pole position.
And the ruthlessness at which Logan Sargeant, Esteban Ocon and possibly Sergio Perez have all been dispatched this year would surely rival that to any episode of Survivor.
So, why has this season become so overly-dramatic?
The elevated importance placed on personal profile
The increase in attention caused by platforms such as Netflix, plus the increase in TV cameras around the paddock, has undoubtedly stroked a few egos, along with social media, which is easily measured in the form of likes or follows.
While the number of news-getting journalists has dropped in the F1 paddock, the number of eyeballs globally has dramatically increased. Consequently, the importance placed on one's own brand is seen as crucial and any such threat to that will be met with resistance.
And then there is also the Netflix effect. Certain characters are now happily leaning into the personas they have created for themselves in the show, often embellishing the role they play. The lines between reality and manufactured personas are increasingly becoming blurred by all the theatrics.
The tone was set at the start of the year.
After such a crushing, dominant display by Verstappen and Red Bull in 2023, there were the assumptions it would be repeated in 2024, stifling wider interest in F1 as a consequence of predictability.
But nobody foresaw that all being turned on its head as Christian Horner became the subject of an internal investigation that propelled F1 to the front of the news agenda.
What followed dominated the headlines and sparked speculation and debate. The drama only increased with each incendiary comment from Jos Verstappen, father of four-time world champion Max.
Perhaps that set the precedent for so much off-track drama?
The closeness of the battle and the potential for success
The Red Bull era of dominance has gone, so the drivers and their respective teams are repositioning while trying to assert themselves at the front.
Verstappen calling out Lando Norris for ignoring yellow flags would not have happened had the McLaren driver been trundling around in seventh or eighth as he would have done a few seasons ago.
The Dutchman’s reign came under threat and he was forced to battle with the McLaren driver, going over the line in Mexico and earning himself penalties.
Verstappen was reacting to the pressure and as the field has converged, it has brought new tensions and rivalries.
The added strain has served to stress-test perceived friendships but the reality is when battling for positions and points there are no real friendships within F1 and now we get to see that.
It is not just at the top either. The competitiveness extends throughout the grid and, as we have seen with Alpine’s success in Brazil, one race can make a huge difference to the prize money each team receives at the end of the season.
Everyone is shattered
We need to remember this is the longest season in F1 history - an incredible 24 races once the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is complete this Sunday. That’s two more than the previous record.
To put it into context, when Damon Hill won the title in 1996, the season started on 10 March and finished on 13 October and contained 16 races, 11 of which were in Europe.
There are those who point out that back then there was in-season testing, but it is not the same as the gruelling travel demands placed upon staff today.
The final race of this season will be the sixth race in eight weeks - a baffling run of Austin, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Forget the travel schedule, the time zone shift between the races in Vegas and Qatar was 11 hours before even making the 18-hour journey.
Staff, team bosses and the drivers are at their limit and understandably can become bad-tempered or irritable.
It has been a slog and the true cost of such a long campaign will only become fully-realised in the days after the season ends and the adrenaline subsides.
Watch: Verstappen Brilliant As The FIA Baffles In Qatar - How The Race Unfolded At Lusail
