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Movies & TV

23rd Mar 2022

Formula 1 to speak to Drive to Survive producers over “distorting” of rivalries

Hugh Carr

drive to survive

“It is necessary that the story does not move away from reality.”

Formula 1 organisers are set to meet with Netflix and Drive to Survive producers to talk about the potential “distorting” of stories throughout the series.

The fourth season of the hugely popular Netflix vehicle launched two weeks ago, with one notable absence.

Max Verstappen, the current World Champion, refused to take part in the series, claiming that the show “faked a few rivalries which didn’t really exist”.

While footage of Verstappen driving and interacting with teammates featured in the latest season, Drive to Survive was unable to fully showcase his controversial rise to the top.

CEO for F1 Stefano Domenicali spoke about how the popularity of the series has brought many positives to the sport, but has also left drivers concerned about how they are represented on the small screen.

“In order to ignite the interest of a new audience, a tone was used that in some ways focused on dramatising the story,” Domenicali said, according to Motorsport.com Italy.

“It’s an opportunity, but I think it needs to be understood. We talked about it this weekend at a meeting with the teams as well.

“A driver who refuses to participate because he feels he is not being represented in the right way is not being constructive; so a dialogue is needed to understand how he can be included in a format that he feels is correct.

“We will also talk to Netflix, because it is necessary that the story does not move away from reality, otherwise it no longer fits.

“It is a topic that we will address together with the drivers,” Domenicali continued.

‘We have to make sure that a project that has generated such exceptional traction has a language that continues to appeal, but without distorting the image and the meaning of the sport that we live with every day.”

Filming is currently underway for the fifth season of Drive to Survive, with Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc currently at the top of the leaderboard following Sunday’s race in Bahrain.