It’s official now: The fifth season of ‘Drive to Survive‘ will hit Netflix on February 24. As expected, it will arrive in the build-up to the upcoming Formula 1 season, which will host its first race in Bahrain on March 5. The exact date is rather curious, as that puts it right in the middle of the pre-season testing (also in Bahrain) ahead of the upcoming season.
The first season came out on 8th March 2019, just about 9 days before the start of the season. It documented the 2018 season and was well-received by fans and critics. But the audience scores (taking the example of Rotten Tomatoes) have gotten progressively worse with each season. The first season currently holds a 92% audience rating. This decreases to 84 percent for the second season, 59 percent for the third season, and a dismal 17 percent for the fourth season.
It’ll be interesting to see if this trend breaks. ‘Drive to Survive’ has done quite a bit to increase the sport’s exposure, especially in the US, so it’s clearly an important marketing tool for F1. It has also helped the sport reach the younger generation of fans better. The show has already been renewed for a sixth season, which is just a testament to its popularity. But despite this, it is still very controversial – and divides fan opinion. The response to the recent announcement reflects that.
Read More: Drive to Survive: How the Netflix Docuseries helped F1 reach new heights in the US
‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ continues to divide fan opinion
This divisiveness is not only limited to the fans. Max Verstappen refused to get involved with ‘Drive to Survive’ during the 2021 season. This was obviously quite problematic, considering he was involved in what was probably the most exciting title battle in recent years. He had even claimed that the show ‘faked a few rivalries’ that did not actually exist. This is actually quite a common criticism.
So, the reaction is not entirely positive. Some people even replied that they are not excited about the show at all. Max Verstappen’s criticism of the show about ‘fake rivalries’ and the over-dramatization comes up quite a bit. This season as a whole wasn’t particularly exciting either, at least on the surface. But there’s at least one thing to look forward to: An inside look at the driver merry-go-round that unfolded over the summer, and the Alpine-McLaren and Oscar Piastri saga.
We will not be watching unfortunately
— zman¹ (@zmanzmanzmanzmn) January 12, 2023What fake stories lines are we getting this year?
— Out of Context Formula 1 Manager (@nocontextf1m) January 12, 2023I have no faith in this being good, season 1 was a banger the rest have been so bad. The teams have copped onto it and play up to the cameras.
— david (@Mackorous) January 12, 2023The date is brilliant, no words. There is no better date for a new season, you deserve applauses 👍
— бухгалтерия (@zapupuzalupu) January 12, 2023Hopefully Drive To Survive continues to bring new fans to F1, but for me as a passionate F1 fan of many decades, I’ve lost interest in the series and have given up on it. It’d be interesting to see if any other die-hard F1 fans feel the same #DriveToSurvive
— Kay 🥀 (@kay_c1773) January 12, 2023If they are over dramatising everything then they better make the Piastri saga episode good at least
— Matthew 🇲🇹 (@BVBMatthew17) January 12, 2023Can’t wait for 2021 clips to be mixed with radio messages from 1998 to make up drama between two drivers that never existed!
— Kyran (@kyran018) January 12, 2023It's pretty obvious at this point, but it's all lies and exagerations. I'm not watching and I know you don't care, as I'm not the target audience. I've only watched F1 for 30 years, who cares about me…
— TJ🏈⚽️⚾️🏀🎮 (@ChrisTJ31) January 12, 2023Dts season 1 made me fall in love with the sport but quality has gone down since. Hoping it picks up.
— firstname_bunchofnumbers (@firstname_numbe) January 12, 2023I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't care about this
— Alex FRMEC MODE | RZ 🤍💙 (@balb_f1) January 12, 2023It’s certainly proven hard for fans to let go of the Will Buxton memes.
But some people are actually quite excited about the show. Despite the over-dramatization, it’s sometimes entertaining, and there are still some insights to gain from watching it. Of course, sometimes you just want a few laughs – even if the show intends it or not.
The teams and official accounts certainly do seem to be excited, rather unanimously. Do you know why that’s the case?
It’ll be interesting to see how the upcoming ‘Drive to Survive’ season matches up with the previous ones, both in terms of quality, reviews, and content. In any case, it’s here to stay, especially considering the sport’s burgeoning popularity in the United States and the fact that they’ll be three races there next year. It’s helped F1 ‘crack the case’ in America, and the sport is not going to part with so much increased exposure that easily.
In case you missed it:
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