Have you ever started watching something offhand because someone was watching it, only to find yourself sucked into the story and drama and then realize you’ve binged the entire series? That was me with the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Never in a million years would I think that I would get into watching racing of any kind. I mean…that’s boring, right? But, I have found myself cheering for specific drivers and teams, and I’ve been on the edge of my seat, even though I could have looked up information about a driver online. That’s how good this series is. 

When Romain Grosjean crashed in the Haas car in 2020, and it was torn in two and burst into flames, I was sure he was dead. I was in tears, but amazingly, he came out of it with only second-degree burns. It ended his F1 career, but HOW did he get out of that? Netflix had me captivated for several episodes, hinting at this catastrophic event until they finally showed the crash and interviewed Grosjean afterward. As much as some of the drivers complained about the new safety feature referred to as “the Halo,” Grosjean attributed his survival to that specifically. 

This show is so interesting that I don’t even want to know what is happening in the current F1 season. I want to watch it on the Netflix series after it’s all over. Lord, help me, I have even looked into tickets for the closest Formula 1 track in Austin, Texas. Yes, I am now that into it.

The Teams

Throughout the seven seasons of the series so far, 10 teams were competing. It starts in 2019 and follows teams Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Haas, McLaren, Racing Point, Alfa Romeo, Toro Rosso, and Williams. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, there was significant controversy surrounding the Force India team, which was placed into administration and subsequently renamed Racing Point for the 2019 season. In 2020, Toro Rosso rebranded as AlphaTauri. And then, in 2021, Racing Point was rebranded as Alpine. Seriously, the rebranding and changing of team names can be as much of a merry-go-round as the drivers themselves. 

Watching these teams compete and the team principals duke it out each season is a drama in itself. You come away loving certain principals and despising others. I have always loved Guenther Steiner, who was the principal of the unlucky American team, Haas. He has since moved on, but he was always entertaining in interviews. He gave no fucks, and he said as much. For several seasons, Mercedes dominated, but then the FIA introduced new regulations and implemented a spending cap, which gave all teams an equal opportunity to be contenders. It was then Red Bull’s turn for a while. Now, there seems to be a much more even balance among Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. 

The two longest-serving team principals were Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Christian Horner of Red Bull. However, recently, Red Bull made a big announcement, and Christian Horner is out AFTER 20 YEARS! Crazy. I wonder how Netflix will spin that shit show. I’m honestly happy about it because Horner seemed like a challenging person to work with. And we get it, Horner, you married a Spice Girl; we don’t need to see her every time you’re featured in an episode…I won’t miss that. He always seemed to be backstabbing his drivers, and you could sense the tension and stress surrounding the drivers on the Red Bull team and their sister team (now called Racing Bulls). I look forward to what the team will achieve with a new person at the helm. 

The Drivers

The drivers. Man, oh, man. What these guys have to do to train their bodies for these races and the stress that comes with being one of only 20 drivers, with their position being precarious as younger drivers vie for their spot, is incredible. The teams deal with the musical chairs of drivers. There are two drivers per team, with backup drivers who are typically promoted from Formula 2 or 3. Sometimes, a change in teams is the driver’s choice if another team has a more promising car or is offering more money, and sometimes it’s the team’s choice. Some drivers have been with one team for years, while others move around for various reasons. Often, I struggle to keep up and need a whiteboard and string. 

I have some favorite drivers and others that REALLY annoy me. Some drivers are all about themselves and getting that win, while others play as a team. I have been upset when a driver helps his team win only to be shoved off for another driver and moved to backup (looking at you, Valtteri Bottas (Finnish driver) - team player all around). Bottas was with Mercedes for several years, then moved to AlphaTauri, and later returned as a reserve driver for Mercedes. There have been rumors that he will be driving for Cadillac as they enter the Formula 1 arena in 2026. 

Besides Bottas, I adore Carlos Sainz. He seems like a stand-up guy and is a very talented driver. He signed with Ferrari (his dream team), and then there were a few bad decisions made by the Ferrari team that Sainz ignored on a few occasions, which ultimately helped him secure podium wins. For reference, a podium win is a top-three placement. Then Sainz was pushed out by Lewis Hamilton (the driver with the most F1 wins of all time), who came in from Mercedes. Why wouldn’t Ferrari want Lewis? He’s a fantastic driver, but so is Sainz… who is now with Williams. So, you see why I can’t keep up?   

One thing about this Netflix series is that I go from disliking drivers to cheering them on. I was that way with Lando Norris. He is a driver for McLaren, and at first, I thought he was a twat because he and Sainz were great friends when they were on the same team. However, when Sainz had an opportunity to sign with Ferrari, Lando got a bit nasty with him. Some drivers definitely show more emotion than others, and I guess Lando is one of those. I was cheering him on when he was the primary focus in one of the episodes because it showed more of who he is as a person. He’s more of a laid-back, happy-go-lucky guy, and he said he wants to win, but he wants to win in a way that reflects his personality. He doesn’t feel the need to change who he is. I admire that. 

A driver I don’t particularly like is Max Verstappen. He is kind of shitty to everyone around him. He was best friends with Lando Norris until Lando started beating him, and then he acted like a total ass. He was once asked by a reporter what he felt he needed to do to win the next race, and his comment was basically, “I’m a three-time World Champion. I know what I’m doing.” The look the McLaren Aussie driver, Oscar Piastri, gave him was priceless. His father is much too involved with the team and gives the principal and everyone shit if Max isn’t winning. Jos Verstappen is famous for his awful temper, and sure, he’s a former F1 driver himself, but he isn’t part of the team and just seems like a busybody. It’s annoying. I will give Max a bit of kudos, though. In a recent race in the 2025 season, he was the first out of his car to congratulate Nico Hulkenberg on his first podium win. Nico is a gem and deserved that win.  

Scoring

There are two championships each season. There is the obvious World Champion driver each season, and then there is the Constructor’s Championship. For the Driver World Champion, you have 20 drivers in line for it. In each race, only the top 10 drivers get points, with the top three getting the most points and the podium celebration. The points also add up per team. For example, if the two McLaren drivers finish in the top 10, their points are added to the team’s total, and the team with the most points wins the Constructors' Championship. So, it’s in the best interest of the drivers to drive as a team, but that doesn’t always happen. There have been a few races where both cars from the same team collided and crashed, so that means no points for either the team or the drivers. But sometimes, the drivers try to win at any cost. 

And I haven’t even talked about all the drama and nonsense that happens off the paddock (which is very entertaining and sometimes feels like I’m watching soap operas), or the fact that Daniel Ricciardo was supposed to be the golden child of the series if his career had gone a little better. Honestly, I could go on for hours about why this series is a must-watch. But I won’t. Just do yourself a favor and check it out. I’m late to the Formula 1 cheering squad, but Netflix got me hooked.

Have you seen the Formula 1 series on Netflix? What did you think? Stay tuned for my review of F1: The Movie.