Netflix will air its first live sporting event on Tuesday night with the Netflix Cup, a golf event featuring four teams of PGA Tour players paired with Formula One drivers.
Held at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas – ranked 19th on Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 casino golf courses in the U.S. – the 6 p.m. ET event will look to play off the success of the streaming service’s Full Swing and Drive to Survive shows that follow both the PGA Tour and Formula One, respectively. Formula One will host its first-ever race on the Strip in Las Vegas later this weekend.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the world of Formula One, get to know the four drivers who will be teeing it up with Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.
Lando Norris
Player partner: Rickie Fowler
Lando Norris is one of the best young talents on the 20-driver grid and has really come into his own over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old British and Belgian driver – who now lives in Monaco – has been in Formula One since 2018 and now has 13 podium finishes with the McLaren F1 Team. Norris is close friends with fellow Netflix Cup competitor, Carlos Sainz, so close that the two have an online bromance nickname “Carlando.”
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Playing partner: Justin Thomas
We might as well introduce the other half of Carlando next. Norris’ former teammate and the son of a two-time World Rally Champion, Carlos Sainz Jr. is a 29-year-old driver for Scuderia Ferrari and a two-time Formula One winner. Sainz has raced for four teams in his nine years on the grid and currently sits in sixth, one spot and three points behind his buddy Norris in the 2023 standings.
Sainz and Norris are both extremely competitive and won’t be afraid to mix it up and talk a little smack (especially to each other). When it comes to golf, the Spaniard recently played in the celebrity match ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Pierre Gasly
Playing partner: Collin Morikawa
Pierre Gasly isn’t shy around a camera and should entertain during the event. The 27-year-old Frenchman has been involved with Formula One since 2017 and has been racing full-time on the grid since 2018. Gasly has raced for three teams and currently resides with the England and France-based BWT Alpine F1 Team. If teams were in three tiers, Alpine would be the bottom of the second tier. Gasly has one win and four podium finishes over his career. This year he’s currently 11th in the 20-driver standings.
Alex Albon
Playing partner: Max Homa
For LPGA fans, the name Alex Albon may ring a bell seeing as the 27-year-old Thai and British driver is currently dating professional golfer Lily He thanks to Netflix. The pair met on social media after He watched Drive to Survive. Albon happened to be getting into golf at the time, and the pair connected.
On the track, Albon has been in Formula One since 2019 with three teams and now drives for Williams Racing, a bottom-of-the-pack team. He has two podium finishes in his short career and is primed for a move to a more competitive team in the coming seasons.
Albon tends to be more reserved compared to his fellow competitors but should fill in the gaps well alongside the energetic Homa.
