F1 Drivers Have Their Say On Drive To Survive Over The Years

Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries has been a game-changer for Formula One, expanding its audience base and providing an insight into the glamorous, high-speed world of F1 drivers.

While the series has been a huge hit, especially in the USA, some drivers have openly expressed their dissatisfaction, mainly for the way events and driver relationships are portrayed in a dramatic way. With Season 7 releasing on the 7th of March, opinions of three F1 drivers are being revisited from the past.

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Williams Racing driver Carlos Sainz have targeted the docuseries for an alleged false portrayal of driver rivalries. While McLaren’s Lando Norris is at peace with what is being done, he suggested that certain events have been showcased in a way that may not be true entirely.

Max Verstappen’s disinterest

The four-time world champion has bluntly stated that he is not a fan of the docuseries, stressing that he prefers factual representation over dramatization of real events. In 2021, he expressed his disinterest in the series and explained that he did not feel inclined to be a part of it. He told The Associated Press:

“I understand that it needs to be done to boost the popularity in America.

“But from my side as a driver, I don’t like being part of it. They would fake a lot of stuff.

“They faked a few rivalries which they don’t really exist.

“So I decided to not be a part of it and did not give any more interviews after that because then there is nothing you can show. I am not really a dramatic show kind of person, I just want facts and real things to happen.”

Carlos Sainz’s strong criticism

Sainz, who moved from Ferrari to Williams this year, has accused Drive to Survive of manipulating footage to portray rivalries that don’t exist in reality. He said on the Nude Project Podcast last year:

“In F1 we get along well with each other among the drivers.

“Now maybe we are in a trend in all sports where there is more respect and sportsmanship than before in the time of [Valentino] Rossi, [Jorge] Lorenzo, [Marc] Marquez, or in football with [Zinedine] Zidane and [Marco] Materazzi. There is more harmony.

“But thanks to Netflix, battles or characters have been created that don’t really exist in some cases. Netflix has been in charge of dramatising this and giving it a Hollywood touch. It’s true that the duels exist, but they’ve been exaggerated. It’s Hollywood.

“Lando Norris and I are colleagues. Rivals and colleagues. They did an episode in Season 4 where we looked like archenemies. We were team-mates and we seemed to get on terribly.

“In Australia at the start of the new F1 season we met and I said to him: ‘Have you watched Netflix?’ He said yes and we were laughing about it for a while. Even a fan who has been following F1 for a long time and knows the details laughs at that episode. They take one line there, one line there, to try and create that rivalry.”

Lando Norris’s take

Norris isn’t too concerned about Drive to Survive’s alleged drama-centric approach. He pointed out that while there are many aspects of the series that are questionable, he acknowledged its role in boosting F1’s popularity in America.

Speaking on the way he was portrayed to be angry with his then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo on Drive to Survive’s Season 4 showcasing the 2021 season, Norris said:

“You can choose a lot of things which almost go in and don’t go in.

“I’m happy, I think it’s a cool thing. Especially coming to America, there’s so many people now into Formula 1 just because of watching Drive to Survive.

“I think I come across on it alright! I hope I don’t come across in a bad way or an idiot or anything. I think they do a good job.”