05/05/2022
NEWS STORY
F1 and Netflix have confirmed that Drive to Survive has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season.
Since the first season in 2019, which covered the 2018 Formula One World Championship, the series has grown in popularity, with the highly controversial Season 4 attracting the biggest audience to date and breaking into the weekly Top 10 in 56 countries.
"Offering unprecedented access, the new season will once again take fans behind the scenes to witness first-hand how the drivers and teams prepare to battle it out for the 2022 and 2023 championships," claims the official release. The series will offer never-before-seen footage and interviews from the sport’s biggest names.
Drive to Survive is executive-produced by Academy-Award winner James Gay-Rees (Amy, Senna) and Paul Martin (Diego Maradona) for Box to Box Films, Season 5 is being filmed now and will launch on Netflix in 2023.
Despite the success of the series, which it is claimed is the driving force behind the sport's increasing popularity, particularly in the US, there has been widespread criticism of its methods, particularly in terms of creating fake rivalries and using scenes and quotes out of context.
Indeed, world champion, Max Verstappen, having chosen not to take part in Series 4, has made clear that he will not be taking part in Series 5 either... or presumably Series 6.
Even F1 boss, Stefano Domenicali has questioned the series methods but clearly, with an eye on the media buzz surrounding this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, his bosses at Liberty Media have seen fit to continue.
Then again, as Liberty seeks to off-load the sport - for the right price - what better way to build the hype and thereby boost the value.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Miami, here.