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Coulthard does not share criticism Drive to Survive Verstappen

Coulthard does not share criticism Verstappen: 'Most drivers are boring'

14 January 2023 at 07:57
Last update 14 January 2023 at 08:56
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  • GPblog.com

The fifth season of Drive to Survive will be available to watch on Netflix in February, and the fact that a fifth season has been ordered by the streaming service does indicate the success of the documentary. Still, there has been some commentary in recent years, criticism that mainly focused on the 'cut-and-paste' that Netflix is allegedly guilty of. David Coulthard does not entirely agree.

Max Verstappen in particular has been quite critical of how he and other drivers have been portrayed in recent years. Due to the shuffling of some images, Norris, for example, was portrayed as a "jerk" in the reigning 2021 world champion's view. "In the series, Lando is kind of portrayed as a jerk. And he really isn't that at all. In that episode, you think 'who is this guy and what the hell is happening?' Soon they [the fans] won't like him for this. And why should they? You really get the wrong image of a good person that way," Verstappen said in March last year.

Coulthard breaks a lance for Netflix

Verstappen has since had good talks with Netflix and will himself be featured again in the documentary. According to Coulthard, it remains in the sport's interest to edit the series slightly from reality anyway. "I do see an ongoing interest in this...not scripted, but edited version of the reality. Some of the drivers spoke about that, some of the conversations being placed in places they weren't entirely happy about. The reality is if it wasn't done like that it wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting or as fun. It's part of the show and it's part of the entertainment."

Coulthard says it is necessary to spice it all up a bit, because otherwise there would be little left to watch for fans of the pinnacle of motorsport. "It makes them all seem more interesting than they are. Most of the drivers are bloody boring, to be honest! Netflix makes them seem quite interesting!" thinks the 51-year-old Scot at Balls.ie.

When can Drive to Survive be seen?

The new season of Drive to Survive can be seen on Netflix from 24 February. The first teaser has now been posted online.