Formula 1: Drive to Survive returns to Netflix today for its eighth season – we bring you some of the most dramatic and explosive moments from the show till now.
It’s that time of the year again, when Netflix releases one of its most popular series that delivers viewers excitement, emotional peaks (and troughs) and top-tier motor racing.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 8 is now available on Netflix and it offers behind-the-scenes action like never before.
In anticipation of your binge-watching session, we provide a recap of some of the most dramatic and explosive moments from seasons one through seven which left us audibly gasping.
Let this be your journey down F1 memory lane as we aim to refresh your memory with some of Formula 1 racing’s most exhilarating moments featured on the hit Netflix show over the years.
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo’s Baku crash from Season 1
Season 1 of Drive to Survive was packed with action – and two of its main stars were four-time World Champion Max Verstappen and F1’s golden boy Daniel Ricciardo.
The two drivers were constantly clashing throughout season 1 and their intra-team rivalry provided rich material for the camera.
Their conflict reached a climax at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and resulted in a crash for the history books – not so much because of its severity or damage, but more so because it ultimately led to Ricciardo’s exit from Red Bull Racing and straight into the welcoming arms of their biggest rival – Renault, reports the Mirror.
Episode three – Redemption – delved deeply into the Verstappen-Ricciardo rivalry, exploring the build-up of tension and the ultimate fallout from the collision.
The drivers had been virtually glued together from the opening of the Baku race, surviving early side-by-side contact by the narrowest of margins.
Verstappen’s determination not to give way even as the apparently quicker Ricciardo battled relentlessly was a scrap for the history books, and matters eventually reached boiling point on lap 40, when Ricciardo crashed into the back of his teammate’s machine whilst attempting to slipstream past him on the Turn 1 straight.
Discussing the dramatic smash between his team members, Red Bull’s then Team Principal Christian Horner said at the time: “We allow them to race, we allow them to go wheel to wheel. We even discussed it in pre-race meetings about giving each other space.
“Unfortunately this was the culmination of two guys taking things into their own hands which shouldn’t have happened. We talked about it before the race, both drivers nodded in agreement that they would give each other space. It was a low point and I made my feelings very clear to both drivers.”
Brilliant primetime television, that.
Romain Grosjean’s terrifying fireball crash in Season 3 (and all his other crashes)
The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix will forever remain etched in the memories of motorsport enthusiasts and Formula 1 drivers – particularly those racing on the grid at the time.
The race witnessed Romain Grosjean’s Haas consumed by horrific, all-consuming flames and it was deemed a genuine miracle that Grosjean survived the dreadful crash. The former Haas driver smashed into the barriers on the very first lap as his car burst into a terrifying inferno.
Spectators watched the blazing wreckage with immediate sorrow, yet astonishingly, Grosjean emerged from the flames, narrowly escaping death.
He sustained severe burns on both of his hands, and it transpired that his 179th Grand Prix would be his final one, the crash inevitably marking the end of his Formula 1 career.
Episode nine of season three, Man on Fire, took us backstage to reveal the impact the horrifying incident had on the rest of the paddock, with Lewis Hamilton admitting: “This one was hard to watch. I felt very vulnerable at that moment.”
Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner commented: “Once you see fire, that is the worst thing you can have. This is bad,” whilst Sergio Perez reflected: “Only when you see those things do you believe the danger we go into.”
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s Silverstone collision – and that
World Champion Max Verstappen and his rivalries are never-ending, with another chapter added in Drive to Survive’s fourth season, this time involving seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and the Flying Dutchman.
The gripping duel between the main characters of season four reached a climax in Silverstone, where the two collided on the very first lap, resulting in Verstappen experiencing a 51G impact as he hurtled into the barriers at 180mph.
Hamilton had collided with Verstappen’s formidable vehicle at the notorious Copse corner during the British Grand Prix, resulting in the Dutchman being rushed to hospital for checks.
Verstappen later confessed that he had competed with impaired vision in several races following the collision, stating in the Red Bulletin: “Since my Silverstone crash, I’ve struggled with visibility problems, especially on undulating circuits or those with lots of advertising boards on the side of the track. In this race, I wasn’t just fighting against Lewis, but also against blurred images.”
Commenting on the collision, Hamilton had remarked at the time: “If you don’t go for a gap, you may as well stop racing.”
The thrilling season eventually concluded with Verstappen securing his first-ever Formula 1 World Championship after triumphing in the contentious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – a finale that saw him beat Hamilton to the coveted title on the final lap following a (highly disputed) Safety Car restart.
Lewis Hamilton’s shock revelation in season 7
Having raced with Mercedes since 2013 and clinching six of his seven World Championship titles with them – the idea of Lewis Hamilton actually departing the Silver Arrows was never on anyone’s radar.
So we don’t exaggerate when we say that Drive to Survive Season 7’s most dramatic moment was undoubtedly Hamilton’s shocking pre-season revelation that he was departing Toto Wolff’s team’s welcoming embrace for the iconic red of the Scuderia for the 2025 season.
Addressed in the opening episode itself, Netflix managed to capture some electrifying behind-the-scenes footage from the aftermath of the announcement, even positioning themselves in the room when Toto and Hamilton reunite on camera after the revelation at the Mercedes car launch.
Candid and unvarnished comments from Toto about the switch and Mercedes’ future strategies appear in Episode 1 and 3, with the Mercedes Team Principal questioning the timing of Hamilton’s departure and even discussing the potential recruitment of Verstappen with his wife and current managing director of the F1 Academy, Susie Wolff.
Toto can be heard saying: “I haven’t talked to him [Verstappen], because I promised Lewis not to talk to him, but I will have the conversation now.”
Eventually the prized Mercedes seat goes to Kimi Antonelli, the teenager and his family’s delight captured perfectly on Netflix’s cameras when he is informed. Hamilton’s Ferrari switch also meant fan-favourite Carlos Sainz lost his place with the Scuderia, triggering his eventual transfer to Williams (another compelling season seven storyline – and one of our favourite subplots).
Charles Leclerc’s home race ‘curse’ and emotional Monza win
Season 7 Season 7’s Episode 5 entitled ‘Le Curse of Leclerc’ takes us backstage with Formula 1’s incredibly gifted softboy Charles Leclerc.
One of the most emotionally stirring episodes in Drive to Survive’s packed history, it offers us a deeper look into Leclerc’s world – something supporters of the seemingly reserved motorsport star can’t help but treasure.
Examining his unlucky streak in all his home races at Monaco throughout his nearly 9-year career, Drive to Survive delivers one of the show’s most emotionally powerful moments when Leclerc finally secures the silverware that has been slipping away from him for so long.
Heartwarming scenes with mates and family are featured across the episode, including a delightful moment with Leclerc receiving a home haircut from his mum and discussing his late father and his F1 dreams for him.
In a classic ‘I’m not crying, you’re crying’ moment as a viewer – Leclerc finally gets his mitts on the Monza trophy following a thrilling drive in his home race, telling the cameras: “I definitely did not only realise my dream, but my father’s dream. He’s probably celebrating it from above.”
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