Drive to Survive has opened itself up to controversy in ways that have not even been thought of. The Netflix series, despite being tasked by Liberty Media with bringing in a global audience, has completely shunned all ethics and sense of responsible storytelling to blatantly manufacture drama instead.
For this exact reason, the Netflix series has not only attracted mass criticism but also suffered a damning blow by losing the cooperation of Formula One’s current champion and one of the most powerful and popular racers on the grid – Max Verstappen. The show’s executive producer, James Gay-Rees, has himself likened the Netflix series to a soap opera.
It isn’t surprising then to see legions of F1 fans growing to loathe the series and calling out every fake moment that they happen to catch on the screen.
Netflix needs to rein in the drama on Drive to Survive
When Netflix first picked up the F1 project, it was intended to cater to a viewer demography that was not yet familiar with the sport. The highly dramatized optics combined with behind-the-scenes politics and tiffs among the drivers meld together to offer a version of Real Housewives on wheels.
What I find difficult to understand, however, is why Netflix needs to fabricate content to make F1 interesting when the sport itself offers a pure, undiluted view of explosive on-track clashes, driver battles, raging rivalries, adrenaline-inducing race to the finish line, and paddock drama to keep fans occupied for an entire season.
The grueling, heart-pounding manner of the sport does not need added sound effects to make it seem more perilous. No amount of selective editing can recreate the nail-biting, pearl-clutching sensationalism of watching two rivals go wheel to wheel or the threat of colliding and crashing at every major turn and corner.
At this point, Netflix really needs to rein in the fakery on Drive to Survive and instead attempt to tell a real story without the need for slow-motion close-ups and montages with misleading audio clips.
The gift and curse of Formula 1: Drive to Survive
On one hand, Drive to Survive exists as a gateway drug for people all over the world to get introduced to the niche and elite sport. But on the flip side lies all the dangers and trappings of a series that relies on misinformation and made-up storylines to attract larger viewer demography for better ratings and profit.
Therein lies the gift and curse of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. The show can neither bring in an audience without making the narrative gritty and dramatic enough nor retain those fans when they realize how most of the episodes are fabricated after they turn into ardent F1 followers.
As recapped by a disgruntled Formula One fan who was first honey-trapped into loving the sport through Drive to Survive:
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One of those fabrications involves a scene with Max Verstappen at the end of Season 1 where a montage of drivers pops up to show some of his most popular rivals – Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, etc. After they each introduce themselves, the screen cuts to Verstappen saying, “To be honest, I don’t think they are even close to our level. No hard feelings, I’m just looking ahead to the ones we have to beat.” [via Race Fans]
Fabricated and misleading moments like this abound throughout the series, targeting drivers like Carlos Sainz, Romain Grosjean, and numerous others. With Formula One growing in popularity, Netflix is getting increasingly scrutinized for its falsities as Season 6 recorded a massive 30% drop in viewership compared to the year before.
Despite its penchant for ethically questionable storytelling and turning F1 into reality TV, Netflix can still redeem itself for its past misgivings with a new season just around the corner.
Drive to Survive Season 7 premieres on Netflix on 7 March 2025.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
