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Review: Drive to Survive makes a fool of itself without Verstappen in it
- Ludo van Denderen
The numbers for Netflix this week were shocking: their (former) hit series Drive to Survive saw ratings plummet compared to last year. As much as 30 per cent fewer people watched the series in the first weekend after its release. That viewers are turning away from the programme en masse is completely understandable. After all, Drive to Survive 6 is dreadfully bad.
While filming for season 7 has now started, Netflix should really ask whether Drive to Survive deserves a sequel. After all, the inspiration for interesting content (content, it's not a realistic story) seems completely gone: for the umpteenth time, viewers will see Guenther Steiner making remarks with Haas. And that other golden boy of the streaming service, Daniel Ricciardo, even got two episodes. For the record, 2023 was not Daniel Ricciardo's year, so so much attention is completely inappropriate.
Netflix ignores Verstappen
In the first few years, the series sometimes surprised. There is no more of that this time around. Season 6 is a repetition exercise that never gets going. Once again, storylines are staged, feuds are invented that are not there in reality, and the 2023 season hasn't been given the justice it deserved. Last season will forever go down in history as the year of Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman won his third consecutive world title after nineteen Grands Prix victories, but Netflix viewers hardly get any of that.
It is well known that Verstappen is not a fan of the programme. But completely ignoring the Dutchman is a blunder. Perhaps Verstappen did not see fit to give extensive interviews to the programme's makers, but then again, surely it would have been possible to give the Dutchman the credit he deserved? Instead, there is an episode where some Hollywood stars become investors in Alpine.
Drive to Survive mocks the truth
Moreover, the impression remains that events are very much scripted. For instance, in one of the episodes, we are at the home of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who just at that moment has Father Christmas over. Oh, how spontaneous it all looked! Coincidentally, those cameramen rang the doorbell just when the good man was also present!
For the pure F1 fan, Drive to Survive has always been a touchy subject. Season 6 is the low point. Those who really love the sport would do better to ignore the series. That will prevent a lot of annoyance.
Drive to Survive is now available to watch on Netflix.