LANDO NORRIS and his fellow F1 stars are fed up with Netflix’s hit series Drive to Survive.
The fly-on-the-wall show has ruffled feathers in the paddock after airing its explosive seventh series just over a fortnight ago.
Lando Norris hit out at Netflix for their ‘fabricated nonsense’ and ‘made-up scripts’[/caption]
The McLaren driver feels the makers overdid it with his rivalry with Max Verstappen[/caption]
McLaren driver Norris has slammed the mega-hit docu-series as “fabricated nonsense” with “made-up scripts”.
The British 24-year-old is particularly fuming about episode two, Frenemies, which depicted a bitter feud between himself and his pal Max Verstappen as the duo battled for the title.
Norris, who lines up on pole for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix season-opener in Melbourne, has urged the show to stop painting Red Bull’s world champ Verstappen as the villain.
That has irked the Dutchman and his team since the series came out in 2019.
When asked what bothered him most about the latest season, Norris said: “The portrayal of Max, and how we were against each other so much.
“There’s already drama, they can just show the facts of the drama. They don’t need to do anything more than that.
“Maybe it needs to be more of a documentary of the season more than a show, like they’re trying to do.
“It’s a good thing for F1, good for the fans, they still get to see a lot behind the scenes which you never get to see.
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“That’s important and I want them to keep doing it, but they need to come back to reality a bit more, it’s drifted too far away.”
Netflix faced a backlash after airing a clip showing Verstappen looking glum in what appeared to be Miami when Norris secured his maiden win last term.
But the cap he was wearing was from Zandvoort in Holland, where Norris also won, four months after Miami.
Netflix said it was an “unintentional error” and have since changed the clip.
Norris said: “They need to show the truth about people more. I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts.
“I don’t want made-up scripts and fabricated nonsense, which there is.
“To portray someone in an incorrect way means people are going to have incorrect opinions on a person.
F1 Australia results
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
6. Alex Albon (Williams)
7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
14. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
17. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
18. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
20. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
“It’s almost lying in some ways. I just don’t think that’s correct.
“I don’t think you can paint someone in the wrong picture when it’s not the truth. That line needs to be made clear.”
There is no denying that the mega-hit documentary has done wonders for the sport’s popularity.
F1 has enjoyed an extraordinary resurgence thanks to the show, with the fanbase almost doubling, the average age of viewers lowering by four years to 32, while female participation has also doubled.
And an F1 spokesperson has hit out at Norris’ comments, saying: “Drive to Survive has been a very important part of growing the sport and reaching new audiences.
‘ALWAYS AN AGENDA’
“We should focus on the positive impact of the series and not criticise something that has been beneficial to the whole sport.”
The show isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, with an eighth season expected to be confirmed and film crews buzzing around the paddock.
But Norris is not the only one who is grumbling about the show, with Mercedes driver George Russell, 27, expressing concerns about over-dramatisation and the show’s “agenda”.
Episode three brings into question Russell’s ability to lead the team after a run of mistakes, which he dispels with a superb pole at Silverstone.
F1 reporter Isabelle Barker’s prediction
I EXPECT Max Verstappen to go all guns blazing over the next six-rounds. I also think his experience and aggression could give him the edge.
It seems too little too late for Norris showing consistency, despite that dominant win in Singapore last time out.
You can’t help think what could have been had he sorted out his first-lap issues sooner.
Norris needs to prove he has the mental fortitude, because we all know he’s got the speed, the team and the fastest car.
Verstappen has endured an eight-race winless streak, but he has still managed to score points, with three second-places during that time.
So I think the Dutchman will lift his fourth world-title this season, by the skin of his teeth.
He said: “There were two extremes from the first half to the last half of the episode.
“Ultimately, I don’t really care how I’m portrayed there. I care how I perform in the car and how I work with my team.
“There’s always an agenda for the best storyline possible, and that’s just the way the world is with these entertainment programmes.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen has never been a huge fan of the show and could not resist twisting the knife in at Netflix’s Miami mistake.
In Melbourne he said with a hint of sarcasm: “Apparently I was very sad after Miami. I literally had the best time ever Sunday night, so I don’t know what I was upset about.”
They need to show the truth about people more. I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts.
Lando Norris
On Norris’ comments and the error, a spokesperson for the producers of Drive to Survive said: “In order to help make F1 appeal to a wider audience, we tell these stories in an entertaining and compelling way, which has helped drive leagues of new fans to the sport, a legacy we’re incredibly proud of.
“The series is produced under incredible schedule pressure, and sometimes mistakes do happen.
“When these are pointed out to us, as was the case with some footage of Max post Miami GP, we move to correct these unintentional errors.”
Netflix even used an incorrect clip from months earlier during one Drive to Survive episode[/caption]
