While more fans gravitate towards F1 because of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, various drivers have criticised the documentary series for creating false narratives.
After more than 465,000 people descended upon Albert Park in Melbourne for the 2025 Formula One season opener, the impact of Netflix’s Drive to Survive (DTS) documentary series on the sport was undeniable.
At its core, the show highlights the behind-the-scenes of an F1 season, filled with interviews and sound bites from journalists, drivers, and team principals, as well as footage from specific races throughout the racing calendar.
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DTS portrays the highs and lows of the sport, intertwining money, politics, and the cut-throat nature of F1 to create an engaging storyline filled with drama.
When asked what initially drew them to the motorsport, various attendees, ranging from as young as four to 70 years-old, said the Netflix show was the catalyst for their introduction and eventual passion for F1.
“I just chucked it on the telly during lockdown cause I had nothing else to watch, and the intensity of the sport took me by surprise… I was hooked from there,” one attendee told Drive.
Another spectator who’s been attending the Grand Prix since it came to Melbourne said he didn’t expect the show’s influence on the younger generation to be so impactful.
“I’ve been going here [Albert Park circuit] since 1996 when it first came to Melbourne, and it wasn’t anything like it is today,” they told Drive.
“My kids who’ve never been into F1 are now talking about the sport every race weekend… they talk about the different [team] strategies, different drivers and their driving [styles].
“We were running out of shows to watch on Netflix, and I was watching the first episode of Drive to Survive, and slowly, I started seeing my kids hanging around the couch, trying to catch a glimpse of the episodes before they all caved and they [ended up] binge watching [the entire first season],” they added.
The Netflix documentary has thrust drivers into the biggest spotlight, where drivers of today are starting to reach notoriety that was previously reserved for other heralded legends like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and of course, Lewis Hamilton.
A nine-year-old girl donning Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa-coloured apparel head to toe labelled Charles LeClerc her “hero” after watching the Monegasque driver finally triumph in his home race after years of coming up short.
“Ferrari’s all she’s ever known [when it comes to F1]. We put the show [Drive to Survive] in the background and the red Ferrari and horse caught her attention more than any other drivers [and teams],” her dad told Drive.
According to DTS executive Tom Hutchings, the motorsport has the right formula to make gripping television.
“The show lives on character. Fortunately, F1 is full of interesting people – ruthless competitors, decisive characters and a few egos,” Hutchings told the Guardian.
“It feels like access to a world that we shouldn’t be seeing. It’s all the elements that you don’t get from watching live sport. Viewers get hooked on that very quickly.
“So many of our viewers watch Drive to Survive, but not the F1 races,” he added.
Despite the influx of new motorsport fans, numerous F1 drivers have shared their gripes with the docuseries, with some stating the show is creating false narratives among the 20 drivers on the grid.
In the latest DTS season, viewers were given access to McLaren driver Lando Norris’ maiden Grand Prix win in Miami in the fifth round of the 2024 season.
The episode depicted four-time world champion Max Verstappen as being frustrated about losing to his close friend and rival Norris.
During a live stream on the online platform Twitch in early March 2025, the Dutch Red Bull driver shut down the narrative by stating, “Apparently, I was very upset after Miami… I literally had the best time every Sunday night, so I don’t know what I was upset about.”
Speaking at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix press conference, Verstappen told media including Drive that he’d caught a glimpse of the episode but admitted, “I’m not surprised but I didn’t watch it. It’s just one of these things that pop up on X [formerly Twitter].”
With much of the latest season focused on the rivalry between McLaren and Red Bull and their corresponding lead drivers, Lando Norris told media that the television series “needs to show the truth about people more”.
“I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts. I don’t want made-up scripts and fabricated nonsense, which there is. The portrayal of Max and how we were against each other so much, they don’t need to create that drama, just show the facts,” the 25-year-old British driver said.
“It’s almost lying in some ways, and I just don’t think that’s correct. They just jumble up the whole thing and they don’t care when they put it in.”
The post ‘Took me by surprise’: The show that changed F1’s trajectory forever appeared first on Drive.