| Formula 1: Drive to Survive | |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Genre | Docudrama | 
| Original language | English | 
| No. of seasons | 7 | 
| No. of episodes | 70 | 
| Production | |
| Executive producers | 
 | 
| Running time | 27–51 minutes | 
| Production company | Box to Box Films | 
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix | 
| Release | 8 March 2019 – present | 
Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a British television documentary series produced in a collaboration between Netflix and Formula One, to give a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and races of the Formula One World Championship. The series has received one season per year since 2019, and a total of seven seasons have been released, with the latest season aired on 7 March 2025. A crossover event with Full Swing broadcast on Netflix in November 2023 called The Netflix Cup .
On 24 March 2018, Formula One announced that Netflix had commissioned a ten episode documentary-series giving an exclusive behind the scenes look at the 2018 Formula One World Championship. [1] [2] On 24 July 2019, Formula One announced that a second season would premiere in 2020 covering the 2019 Formula One World Championship, involving all 10 teams. [3] [4]
The series is executively produced by James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin for the production company, Box to Box Films. Sophie Todd is the production's showrunner. [5]
Gay-Rees subsequently went on to reveal to The Fast Lane Podcast that Drive to Survive had originally been conceived as a series revolving solely around Red Bull Racing before it evolved into a series about F1 in general. [6]
Filming began for the 2020 season in March but was suspended until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7]
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 8 March 2019 | ||
| 2 | 10 | 28 February 2020 | ||
| 3 | 10 | 19 March 2021 | ||
| 4 | 10 | 11 March 2022 | ||
| 5 | 10 | 24 February 2023 | ||
| 6 | 10 | 23 February 2024 | ||
| 7 | 10 | 7 March 2025 | ||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "All to Play For" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 2 | 2 | "The King of Spain" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 3 | 3 | "Redemption" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 4 | 4 | "The Art of War" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 5 | 5 | "Trouble at the Top" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 6 | 6 | "All or Nothing" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 7 | 7 | "Keeping Your Head" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 8 | 8 | "The Next Generation" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 9 | 9 | "Stars and Stripes" | 8 March 2019 | 
| 10 | 10 | "Crossing the Line" | 8 March 2019 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Lights Out" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 12 | 2 | "Boiling Point" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 13 | 3 | "Dogfight" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 14 | 4 | "Dark Days" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 15 | 5 | "Great Expectations" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 16 | 6 | "Raging Bulls" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 17 | 7 | "Seeing Red" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 18 | 8 | "Musical Chairs" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 19 | 9 | "Blood, Sweat & Tears" | 28 February 2020 | 
| 20 | 10 | "Checkered Flag" | 28 February 2020 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [8] | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Cash Is King" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 22 | 2 | "Back On Track" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 23 | 3 | "Nobody's Fool" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 24 | 4 | "We Need to Talk About Ferrari" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 25 | 5 | "The End of the Affair" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 26 | 6 | "The Comeback Kid" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 27 | 7 | "Guenther's Choice" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 28 | 8 | "No Regrets" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 29 | 9 | "Man On Fire" | 19 March 2021 | 
| 30 | 10 | "Down to the Wire" | 19 March 2021 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Clash of the Titans" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 32 | 2 | "Ace in the Hole" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 33 | 3 | "Tipping Point" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 34 | 4 | "A Mountain to Climb" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 35 | 5 | "Staying Alive" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 36 | 6 | "A Point to Prove" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 37 | 7 | "Growing Pains" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 38 | 8 | "Dances With Wolff" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 39 | 9 | "Gloves are Off" | 11 March 2022 | 
| 40 | 10 | "Hard Racing" | 11 March 2022 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "The New Dawn" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 42 | 2 | "Bounce Back" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 43 | 3 | "Matter of Principal" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 44 | 4 | "Like Father, Like Son?" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 45 | 5 | "Pardon My French" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 46 | 6 | "Nice Guys Finish Last" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 47 | 7 | "Hot Seat" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 48 | 8 | "Alpha Male" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 49 | 9 | "Over The Limit" | 24 February 2023 | 
| 50 | 10 | "End of the Road" | 24 February 2023 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 1 | "Money Talks" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 52 | 2 | "Fall from Grace" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 53 | 3 | "Under Pressure" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 54 | 4 | "The Last Chapter" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 55 | 5 | "Civil War" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 56 | 6 | "Leap of Faith" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 57 | 7 | "C’est la Vie" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 58 | 8 | "Forza Ferrari" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 59 | 9 | "Three's a Crowd" | 23 February 2024 | 
| 60 | 10 | "Red or Black" | 23 February 2024 | 
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | "Business as Usual" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 62 | 2 | "Frenemies" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 63 | 3 | "Looking Out for Number 1" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 64 | 4 | "Carlos Signs" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 65 | 5 | "Le Curse of Leclerc" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 66 | 6 | "Wheels of Fortune" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 67 | 7 | "In The Heat of the Night" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 68 | 8 | "Elbows Out" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 69 | 9 | "Under New Management" | 7 March 2025 | 
| 70 | 10 | "End Game" | 7 March 2025 | 
The show has received recognition for the additional insight it offers fans, [9] and is credited with attracting new audiences (particularly American) to the sport. [10] [11] [12] The condensing of season-long themes into single-episode narratives has drawn praise for adapting "the natural drama of a racing season into a narrative that can encourage a fan to tune into the real thing." [13]
However, Drive to Survive has been criticized for including fake or misplaced commentary and team radios, [13] [14] [15] [16] staging certain scenes, [13] [17] [18] placing undue importance on test and practice sessions, [16] [17] and over-dramatizing or misrepresenting certain events and relationships within the Formula One paddock. [14] [16] [19] The continued criticism from both audiences and drivers led to discussions between Netflix and team managers and between Formula One and drivers. [20]
Max Verstappen refused to participate in interviews for seasons 3 and 4 as he believed that the show dramatized some drivers by portraying them as villains and that the show manufactured fake rivalries. [21] [22] [23] However, he participated again in season 5 after reaching an agreement with the producers to "keep it real". [23] [24] [25]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials | Nick Fry, Steve Speed, James Evans (for "The Next Generation) | Nominated | [26] | 
| 2020 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Sound: Factual | Nick Fry, Steve Speed, James Evans, Nick Adams | Nominated | [27] | 
| Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Sound - Entertainment & Non Drama | Steve Speed, Nick Fry, James Evans, Hugh Dwan | Nominated | [28] | |
| 2021 | Sports Emmy Awards | Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Nominated | [29] | 
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Sound: Factual | Nick Fry, Steve Speed, James Evans, Hugh Dwan | Won | [30] | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Sports Program | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Nominated | [31] | |
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary | Steve Speed, Nick Fry, Hugh Dwan, James Evans (for "Down to the Wire") | Nominated | [32] | |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials | Doug Dreger, Nick Fry, Steve Speed (for "Man on Fire") | Nominated | [33] | |
| Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards | Sound - Entertainment & Non Drama | Steve Speed, Nick Fry, James Evans, Hugh Dwan | Won | [34] | |
| 2022 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Non-Scripted Series | Dan Ablett, Kevin Austin, Otto Burnham, Shane McCormack, Graham Taylor (for "Man on Fire") | Won | [35] | 
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Sound: Factual | Doug Dreger, Andrew Yarme, Nick Fry, Steve Speed, Hugh Dwan, James Evans | Nominated | [36] | |
| Sports Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary Series - Serialized | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Won | [37] | |
| Outstanding Editing - Long Form | Nominated | ||||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Best Sports Program | Nominated | [38] | ||
| 2023 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials | Nick Fry, Steve Speed (for "Gloves Are Off") | Won | [39] | 
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary | Steve Speed, Nick Fry, James Evans, Hugh Dwan (for "Gloves Are Off") | Won | [40] | |
| Sports Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary Series - Serialized | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Nominated | [41] | |
| Outstanding Audio/Sound - Post-Produced | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music/Series or Specials | Doug Dredger, Steve Speed, Nick Fry (for "Over the Limit") | Nominated | [42] | 
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary | Steve Speed, Nick Fry, Adam King, Doug Dreger, Ivan Onek, James Spooner (for "Over the Limit") | Nominated | [43] | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Sports Program | Formula 1: Drive to Survive | Nominated | [44] | |
| Sports Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary Series - Serialized | Nominated | [45] | ||
| Outstanding Audio/Sound - Post-Produced | Nominated | ||||
| 2025 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music/Series or Specials | Doug Dreger, Steve Speed, Nick Fry (for "Forza Ferrari") | Nominated | [46] [47] | 
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary | Nick Fry, Steve Speed, Doug Dreger, Adam King, Tom Maclellan, James Spooner (for "Forza Ferrari") | Nominated | [48] | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Documentary/Reality Poster for a TV/Streaming Series | Netflix / Intermission Film | Won | [49] [50] | |
In 2020, a series similar to Drive to Survive was released on F1 TV based on the 2019 Formula 2 Championship, called Chasing the Dream . [51] Subsequent second and third seasons were produced, each covering the 2020 and 2021 F2 Championships, premiering in 2021 and 2022 respectively. [52] [53] The fourth and fifth seasons, based on the 2022 and 2023 F2 Championships, were released on F1 TV as well as free-to-air on YouTube during the respective years. [54] [55] Other motorsports series have jumped on the "Drive to Survive train", with Formula E, NASCAR and IndyCar all showing their own respective docuseries.