Drive to Survive producer defends show: 'Teams have enough on their plate'
F1 News
Earlier this month, the seventh season of Drive to Survive was released on Netflix. Like previous years, the creators of the series have once again faced a lot of criticism from drivers and fans alike, particularly regarding the show's editing choices. However, according to the show's Executive Producer, these criticisms are not fair.
"You have to get the essence of what you’re trying to get across. It becomes an interpretation of what happened, but our ambition is always to tell an authentic story,” James Gay-Rees told The National. The Executive Producer of Drive to Survive stressed that everything that is broadcasted is based on the truth, partly thanks to the close collaboration with Formula 1, and he therefore disagrees with the criticism of the show and its editing.
He stressed that the teams do not have editorial control or power. “None of these people has editorial control, so you have to have checks and balances to make sure it’s an accurate representation as far as they understand it. With Formula One, we’ve been doing it for years now, so there’s a pretty good understanding of how the other side rolls and they don’t abuse that. And the teams have enough issues on their plate, be it not winning enough races or internal issues, that we end up being the least of their problems," Gay-Rees explained.
"Some people are more relaxed and comfortable than others," he stressed. "Obviously, some people are very natural. Some people find it uncomfortable, but most of them realise that it’s become a necessary evil,” the producer said.
Verstappen critical of Drive to Survive
Max Verstappen criticised the series in a livestream earlier this month. It was not lost on the Dutch driver that footage from Zandvoort and Miami was cut in such a way that it looked like he was disappointed by Lando Norris 's victory in Miami. "Apparently I was very upset after Miami. I literally had the best time ever Sunday night. So, I don't know what I was upset about," Verstappen said.
Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen was also unhappy with the way things were portrayed, he told Radio Joe. "No, I don't watch it. That's also the thing they do with that series. It's good for Formula 1, absolutely, but what they do is they use quotes under other images. We don't like that very much."
This article has been created in collaboration with Kim Hoefnagel.
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