In hindsight, the first indication that something was slightly amiss was the Netflix episode list. Why has season eight of Formula 1: Drive to Survive – the show which has launched the sport, the streaming site and the art of the behind-the-scenes docuseries into the British public mainstream – been reduced from ten episodes to eight?
Officially, the line Netflix gave The Independent was that “the narrative creatively lent itself to eight episodes.” And you may well say, nothing to see here. Moot point, move on. Grab the popcorn and binge away.
Yet having watched the full collection, ahead of its release on Friday, there is no doubt that this latest instalment, chronicling a 2025 campaign which included Lando Norris’s highest high and Lewis Hamilton’s lowest low, lacked a certain cutting edge. Whether it be a memorable soundbite, an unleashing of paddock rage or a meme-able social media clip, DtoS typically shares a myriad of such moments to an eager audience. This season, however, falls flat.
Of course, for petrolheads and casual fans alike, there are still intriguing glances into the circus. The brutal axing of Jack Doohan at Alpine and his culling in Miami, amid Flavio Briatore’s old-school power-trip, was hard-hitting content. A strong focus on likeable Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli and his rookie season frailties were a reminder of the sport’s cut-throat nature. Hamilton and Max Verstappen discussing the imminent birth of the Dutchman’s daughter at The O2 season launch – “You have to watch it come out!” … “I’m not sure, maybe from the other side!” – was particularly amusing.
However, on the whole, this season lacked its key double-billing: genuine fly-on-the-wall access and enthralling personal interviews.
It was notable, for instance, that Verstappen has seemingly started his second boycott of Drive to Survive, once again opting against being interviewed by the show’s Box to Box producers. The hard-nosed Red Bull driver has spoken out previously about the manipulation of scenes, not least last year with the merging of post-race footage from Miami and Zandvoort. Hamilton, as well, in the midst of his worst-ever F1 campaign on his Ferrari bow, does not once take his place in the infamous interviewee chair.
The sport’s two biggest stars opting against participation? It’s hardly a glowing endorsement. For both, behind-the-scenes nuggets were limited to zoomed-in camera lenses and a boom mic: Verstappen in Red Bull’s hospitality unit, talking to VIPs ahead of the Abu Dhabi season finale, and Hamilton speaking to children at an event for his Mission 44 charity.
The depiction of Christian Horner’s downfall at Red Bull last summer – a story which started with the captivating first episode of season seven – was also lacking in genuine insight. Sure, we have Horner talking through his reaction with wife Geri Halliwell at his Oxfordshire home. The sacked team principal also reveals a touching text message from arch-rival Toto Wolff, in the aftermath of his dismissal.
But from Horner’s final furlong at Silverstone? Nada. Even his penultimate race in Austria did not provide any earth-shattering footage. The chorus of boos Horner received at the 2025 season launch event in London were lasered in on and set up the narrative arc appropriately. “You have to be the pantomime villain,” he says to Red Bull’s commander-in-chief Oliver Mintzlaff.
For a team desperate to rehabilitate their happy as Larry image, the writing was very much on the wall. Yet in-season, there are no revealing paddock conversations between Red Bull’s kingmakers to note.
But Horner’s sorry departure is another instance of the show simply losing its best characters. In the space of three years, we’ve lost Drive to Survive’s chief antagonists and f-bomb merchants in Horner, Guenther Steiner and Daniel Ricciardo. In a new era of team bosses resembling engineering boffins as opposed to mafia men, Netflix will need to carve out different caricatures for its future audience.
And, in many ways, the show is now a victim of its own success. In finding and engaging new fans, who now watch races and are well-aware of the stories and the nuances before they hit the screen, Drive to Survive is a paradox of its own popularity. From this point on, how do you keep the show fresh and invigorating?
Nico Rosberg’s brief addition as a pundit is a solid call. Though as punchy as ever, it does feel somewhat odd that Will Buxton is still front-and-centre, given his job now as lead commentator for… IndyCar. However, most pivotally, the stagnancy of the episode formula, whether it be a frontrunner or midfield team, is now clear as day. A handful of episodes even started with the same sight: a driver or a team principal on a helicopter, overlooking that day’s field of play.
For fans of Norris, keen for eye-opening insight into his title triumph, there is a lack of end-of-show punch, with the exception of a few expletives from Zak Brown. Altogether, it was far too stale and predictable.
There will almost certainly be another season, however. The 2026 campaign on-track, with new teams, new cars and new dreams, promises to be an unpredictable belter, even with an added layer of complexity which, somehow, producers will have to convey in the simplest of terms. Nonetheless, the show is still very much a net-positive for both F1 and Netflix, generating profits and numbers. They have also started a similar series for F1 Academy, the sport’s all-female competition for young drivers.
Yet on this year’s offering, a new approach will be required to keep viewers coming back and to attract even more fans, particularly in the US. Otherwise, for the first time since this behemoth of sports entertainment debuted in 2019, they may just run out of road.
