F1 drivers prefer not to watch Drive To Survive, criticizing the Netflix series
The drivers address in the press conference the fact that Netflix doesn't quite represent reality. Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen reacted on this topic this Thursday in Melbourne ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season.
Since its launch in 2019, Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series has helped popularize Formula 1 to a new audience, showcasing behind-the-scenes paddock action and driver rivalries. While it has democratized the sport, it has also faced considerable criticism, notably from the drivers themselves. During the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, several drivers expressed skepticism about the way the series shapes narratives and dramatizes events.
Oscar Piastri, questioned about a statement by Zak Brown in the latest season of the series, immediately questioned the authenticity of the editing. “I haven’t watched it, to be honest. I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened, so I don’t need to rewatch it on TV,” he said with a smile. “There’s a lot in ‘Drive to Survive’ where, honestly, you never quite know how it’s been edited.”
An elegant way of saying that the series does not always accurately reflect the reality experienced by the pilots.
Max Verstappen, who has long been reluctant to participate in the program, also reacted when he was mentioned a scene showing him in Zandvoort with a sad expression, integrated into an episode to add drama. “I’m not surprised,” he replied. “I haven’t watched it. It’s just unfortunate to see this kind of thing appear on X (formerly Twitter), but you just have to quickly ignore them so they don’t reappear in your feed.” Verstappen thus seems indifferent to the series’ attempts to romanticize the season and prefers to stick to his own on-track experience.
These criticisms are not new. For several seasons, multiple drivers, including Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, have denounced an occasionally exaggerated narrative, where nonexistent rivalries are created and certain statements are taken out of context. Verstappen, who had boycotted the series for a while before returning in the last season, still seems to believe that Netflix’s editing prioritizes spectacle over truthfulness.
If “Drive to Survive” has undoubtedly helped broaden the Formula 1 fan base, it continues to divide within the paddock. Between drivers who play the media game and those who refuse to fuel plots they consider artificial, the series remains a sensitive topic. For some, it is a tremendous promotional tool; for others, a distorted mirror that fuels unnecessary controversies. In any case, its impact on modern F1 is undeniable.
