Season 6 of ‘Drive To Survive’ premiered on Netflix on Feb. 23 and in only three days it entered the global Top 3 of the most streamed series, only behind ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and ‘One Day.’ The show, which showcases the stories and behind the scenes of the Formula 1 season, has been hugely popular since its first release in 2019.
The latest installation of the series features 10 new episodes that take F1 fanatics onto every circuit, into the paddocks, and all of the action of the sport. The episodes are focused on the 2023 season, which was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Some of the most interesting storylines that the documentary series explore include the rivalry between Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, as they were for the first time teammates; as well as Ferrari and Mercedes’ battle for the third place.
‘Drive To Survive’: Verstappen returns, producers react
While ‘Drive To Survive’ has been a success among viewers and fans, even attracting new audiences to the motorsport, several drivers have complained about how the show portrays them and the situations they live in.
One of them was Verstappen, who actually refused to appear during Season 5 of the show. However, the third-time champion decided to appear once again in the series. Executive Producer James Gay-Rees told F1 that he gets “for the casual viewer that it may get a bit repetitive with Max winning every weekend, but I do think, in hindsight, people are going to understand what an amazing driver he is.”
However, he was excited for all the different storylines for the season. “It’s really good to shine a light on those other teams. Mercedes have a tricky year that they turn around, Aston Martin start big and then fall away, so there were some interesting and surprising shakes in it, even if the headline was pretty written early, if you know what I mean,” Gay-Rees explained.
Drive To Survive inspired other similar sport docu-series
Thanks to the massive success of ‘Drive To Survive,’ Netflix has released similar docuseries following other sports, such as ‘Breaking Point,’ focusing on tennis’ season and new players, as well as ‘Full Swing,’ which follows elite golfers of the circuit.
