Drive to Survive Season 7 - Hits, misses, and the most explosive season yet

I'll admit it, I'm a DTS Fan - as the people on the internet would love to describe people who discovered Formula 1 through it's ever popular Netflix Show.

Obviously, now having thrown myself wholeheartedly into the throes of the Formula 1 universe, Drive to Survive is more of a season recap for me - a reminder of what happened last season before the 2025 season begins in Melbourne.

That said, not everyone has 10 hours to dedicate to the show. Not everyone enjoys the show. Most importantly, Drive to Survive is a story, an adaptation of what happened during the season based on the Point of Views' of a handful of VERY hardworking people at Netflix. So, let's dive into a summary and analysis of each episode!

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Episode 1 - Business As Usual

Key Plot Points

1. Lewis Hamilton is announced to move to Ferrari for the 2025 season, leaving Carlos Sainz without a seat.
2. Christian Horner is accused of misconduct with a female staff member at Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Carlos Sainz 'oh my'

In one of the most dramatic driver moves in F1 history, just before the 2024 season it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes and replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for the following 2025 Season.

Obviously, this was a headline that shook the F1 world.... and frankly still is as Ferrari fans, Lewis fans, Carlos fans, and Williams Fans get used to the new F1 'world order'. The way that Netflix painted the relationships coming out of this bombshell move actually surprised me for the better. As opposed to painting certain players in this change as the villain, they took the story exactly as shown. One piece that stood out to me was actually hearing a bit of Carlos' reaction to the move:

Carlos expresses that he was deeply shocked and surprised - that it "caught him off guard" and that he was "upset".

Carlos remained relatively silent during the season itself about his reaction to the Lewis news, so this was a welcome POV.

Censorship and Scandals at Red Bull - how Netflix told the story

Obviously, we cannot talk about the 2024 F1 season without discussing the scandal that rocked F1 and Red Bull in the opening races. I was genuinely shocked and simultaneously happy that Netflix chose to cover such an important topic in the show - in as much detail as they legally could.

**NOTE - this is still an ongoing case that will be brought to British Courts in January 2026, so naturally Netflix is limited on coverage.

“If Christian thought this was going to blow over he was sorely mistaken” - Will Buxton

That was the key quote that I think summarizes the meat of this episode (because 2/3 of it were, in fact, about Christian and Red Bull). Netflix showed us what we did know about the scandal, of course, but provided a welcome POV that fans may not have known...

The press were absolutely GRILLING Christian. Naturally, due to the legal nature of this storyline, all that the fans have gotten until this point was "no comment" and that the case was dismissed by Red Bull. To see that people in the paddock DID take the nature of these allegations seriously... and for Netflix to cover it was a statement to be made.

If this episode were to have any villain - although we already knew who the villain was watching Formula 1 this season - they very, very clearly painted Christian Horner in that light.

Episode 1 Misses

1. Although a key focus of this episode was Carlos and Lewis themselves and not the Ferrari team as a whole, Ollie Bearman was not mentioned. The final 10 minutes of the episode cover Carlos' emergency appendix surgery and his return to WIN the Australian GP. However, there was no mention of Ollie Bearman replacing Carlos in Saudi Arabia and going on to score points in his F1 debut. He wasn't even shown on camera.
2. On the note of the Lewis to Ferrari move being a key focus - Lewis was not the focus. He was mentioned in the first part of the episode, with a few dramatic scenes of him communicating with Toto Wolff and in press conferences, but it felt like the actual meat and potatoes of Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari was snubbed to focus on the uncertainty of Carlos Sainz' future.

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Episode 2 - Frenemies

Key Plot Points

1. Lando vs Max - exclusively Lando's opportunity to fight Max for wins and its impact on their personal relationship
   1. Focus on Miami, Belgium, and Austrian Grand Prix's
2. Lando's first win in Formula 1 in Miami
3. Lando beating Max at his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix

The mindset of Lando vs Max

“Key difference between Max and Lando. Max has a complete fuck you mentality. That’s not Lando.” - Will Buxton

While I'm not the biggest fan of Netflix and Drive to Survive's dramatization of rivalries, I do think that the perspective chosen in this episode hits the mark. Lando and Max are friends... have been since they were kids, but couldn't be more different as human beings. Their only similarity now is that they are race winners and dominant in Formula 1.

Netflix tells the story and shows the mindset of Lando and Max very well -that Max is a 'killer' on the track and easily detaches from anything else other than winning races. While Lando, internalizes everything - he drives and lives his life with heart and emotion.

"My weakness is caring too much about what people say or think or feel." - Lando Norris

The win for Netflix here is that this is an EASY analysis for fans to buy into - it's something that you can see in the way that the pair interact with the press, with other drivers, their own social media, and each other. However, this characterization is one that Netflix has used over and over again: Max Verstappen the cruel, the mean, the ruthless vs [insert driver here] the kind, the underdog, the fighter. While this analysis may be partially true, there is much more to the story that we as fans let alone Netflix are not privy to and feels like an unfair story to play over and over again each season.

Lando's Characterization

This episode focused a lot on the humanization element of Lando - possibly to an unnecessary level as such a polarizing driver in the sport.

The narrative emphasizes Norris's internal struggles, highlighting moments of self-doubt and frustration - touching on the mental toll of extreme criticism as well as the criticism he places on himself. This is such an important conversation, but the episode does dilute the conversation of mental health by then plopping a 5 minute segment about Lando Norris choosing to drink and party between races (a race he went on to win, FYI).

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Episode 2 Misses

1. This episode amplifies Norris's victories to a HUGE amount while downplaying the actual struggles that he faced this season. It also contributes to the narrative that Lando is this soft, kind lovable soul, while Max is heartless and cruel. A criticism fans give over and over again to Netflix as wildly untrue and an unfair characterization to make.
2. I wouldn't say that Netflix 'finished' the story here. Although we are only on episode 2 and likely they will return to the Lando vs Max, McLaren vs Red Bull storyline in later episodes.... it feels like an unfinished "frenemies" trope. This is something that Netflix is notorious for in Drive to Survive - only telling half stories. To finish this analysis of Norris vs Max and it's impact on their friendship only discussing 3 races is interesting. The storyline that we saw in Belgium (Max and Lando crash and neither win) was essentially replicated at COTA and Mexico (with different results). So, let's see if this was a true miss or a play at 'clickbait' for later episodes.

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Episode 3 - Looking Out for Number 1

Key Plot Points

1. Who will lead the Mercedes F1 Team in 2025? (George Russell)
2. George Russell struggling with confidence and ability to lead vs falling into Lewis' footsteps
3. Mercedes looking outside of their own driver pool to possibly replace Lewis with Max, Carlos, and the like
4. Signing Kimi Antonelli

Toto Wolff's decision-making

Again, we are brought back to the dilemma of Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 - this time from the POV of George Russell and Toto Wolff. I don't think that anything in this episode truly shocked me - this side of the equation (I.e. what will Mercedes and Toto do) was very clear in F1 press and amongst fans. It was always going to be an internal hire, regardless of rumors swirling.

However, the storyline really does revolve around Toto's lack of confidence in George Russell to not only lead the team... but win at all. This wasn't Netflix spinning a story in my opinion, there are multiple times that Toto expresses his desire to bring in a different driver as their 'lead' or 'number 1'. What we do learn in this episode, though is that the likes of Carlos, Fernando Alonso, or even an Alex Albon were written off pretty quickly... The storyline emerges that the goal was....

Max Verstappen.

That's right, Toto was pushing HARD for Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton. Although now we know that did not work out - it is revealed that Toto and Jos Verstappen (Max's father) met several times to consider Max leaving Red Bull in the wake of the Christian Horner Scandal (episode 1).

Characterization of George Russell

The storyline that emerges alongside Toto searching the grid and beyond for a driver to replace Lewis is that George should * theoretically* become the lead driver at Mercedes with a less experienced second driver. (We obviously know that this is what happened, as Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes Junior was announced for the second seat).

“The jury’s still out on George Russell” -Will Buxton

... and that's exactly what this episode showed. Although I am not a Russell fan by any means, 80% of Episode 3 was about George's lack of demonstrated confidence, leadership, and frankly... wins.

Toto is looking for a leader - a future WDC - and he didn't think that George could perform without cracking under pressure, or making mistakes. I don't think this is an unfair categorization, but I do think that as displayed on screen Netflix really portrayed George as 'flailing'... when in the end, many mistakes and lack of results, especially in the past were due to the lack of a solid car. They portray George as someone who could not win and could not make his own decisions, but didn't show that Lewis wasn't that far ahead or behind him either.

It wasn't until his win in Belgium that it is shown that Toto 'has confidence in him to lead the team'... which is frankly a misstep because any fan of Formula 1 knows that Toto certainly didn't make his decision based on a single race win. Especially... a race win that was then stripped away from George due to a disqualification.... THAT WASN'T MENTIONED EITHER?

This episode really makes you question whether Mercedes really wanted Kimi Antonelli alongside George (as lead driver) OR if it was their last option because everyone else said no to them.

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Episode 3 Misses

1. I think my criticism of this episode is well voiced above - this episode felt like an incomplete story... making Mercedes seem like the perfect car while George and his performance were the sole issues. Had Lewis been more included in the storyline, a different and more accurate narrative may have emerged.
2. Similar to Episode 2, I wish that the entire storyline would have been played out to portray George Russell in a more accurate light. He didn't just win in Austria - he went on to win Las Vegas and podium in Canada and Baku. He literally out raced Hamilton for most of the season with the final record being 14-9 George (finishing in front of Lewis). This is not to diminish Lewis AT ALL, just to emphasize the unfair characterization and analysis of George's performance.
3. George won Belgium and then was disqualified and lost the race win.... I feel as though that should be mentioned... somewhere, no?

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Episode 4 - Carlos Signs

Key Plot Points

1. Carlos needs to choose a team that will help win him more races.
2. The choice was between Williams and Stake/ Audi
3. Flavio Briatore returns and throws a wrench in Williams plans to sign Carlos in Spain
4. Carlos finally signs to Williams for 2025 and beyond

Shining a real light on Driver contracts

To me, this episode was a MASSIVE success. Although prior seasons of Drive to Survive have lightly delved into contract negotiations and what it looks like when a driver is switching teams.... this episode detailing Carlos' decision making process, his options, and ultimately his decision does it in a way that really does give fans a look at the 'behind the scenes'.... which is obviously the goal of DTS to begin with.

Through the episode we see Williams and Audi (Stake) as the key players in Carlos' decision. Williams with an essentially empty seat and Audi as a new contender with ties to Carlos Sainz Sr. from Rally Driving. Ultimately, for this driver decision it wasn't about Carlos proving himself to those teams, it was about those teams proving themselves to Carlos. That they can perform up to a race winning ex-Ferrari driver standard.

They even showed the moment that Carlos was READY to sign with Williams in Spain before negotiations were derailed by a call from the infamous return of Alpine Team Boss, Flavio Briatore. I'm not going to dive into the details of those conversations because we frankly know what Carlos' decision was. However, to see the TRUE behind the scenes of what happened in Spain. Something that fans and the press speculated on all season long was a win for Drive to Survive.

It ultimately also shown a light on how Carlos' decision did affect the entire field... because at the end of the day he could've gone anywhere. Any open seat could have been Carlos' - which threw the entire grid into a holding pattern.

**This is also where Jack Doohan's viral quote of Carlos being the 'paddock slut' stems from... frankly meant in a loving way that Carlos was in fact the man everyone wanted... but no one quite had.

Williams and Carlos Sainz

“Carlos has to play this right, if he picks the wrong team he might never win a race ever again.”

That's how the episode started - with the idea that Carlos' decision has to be about longevity and strength of a team.

Both James Vowles and Carlos Sainz decision-making, on that note, was completely predicated by longevity not immediate results. We found out that Logan Sargeant knew VERY early in the season that he would not race for Williams in 2025 (well before the Carlos decision was made). More importantly, Vowles makes the point, alongside Claire Williams, that Williams will only be as strong as their drivers. They have to have two strong drivers, not just one, to bring back their winning ways.

Ultimately, what stood out to me, and that I'm glad was highlighted by both James and Carlos, was that Williams is an investment property and they think that Carlos and Alex can, together, "bring back the team to where it belongs". Personally, this episode just made me excited for Carlos and Williams - in that this isn't just a driver signing with a team for 'wins' or 'performance', but that they believe in the mission and strength of each other - equally.

Episode 4 Misses

1. The only miss, I think is the maximum of 3 mentions of Logan Sargeant. Looking ahead, I know already that Franco Colapinto is not mentioned in Drive to Survive... so one can assume that Logan likely won't be either. Overall, that's a giant miss for the series. Period. However, I do think a bit of storytelling of Logan at Williams could've added to the narrative of signing Carlos Sainz, rather than essentially omitting him.

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Episode 5 - Le Curse of Leclerc

Key Plot Points

1. The pressure on Charles and his bad luck surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix as his home race.
2. The win and breaking the 'curse'!

Charles Leclerc finally gets his win

This is the easiest episode recap I've had to write... possibly because it was the easiest episode to digest... possibly because I'm a Ferrari Fan.

“Everything that I do in my life its all for one thing. To become the world champion.” -Charles Leclerc

Those lines opened the episode, but in reality, it becomes clear that only second to that dream is winning his home race. The Monagasque in Monaco.

This has been a story told in nearly every recent Drive to Survive Season with surgical precision:

1. Charles has all of the pressure on his back to win in Monaco.
2. The entire country and racing world have been waiting for him to do it.
3. The mental toll that this pressure takes on Charles.
4. His father, his mother, his friends, and his support system.

This is usually followed by a terrible streak of frankly bad luck - a puncture, a gear box failure, etc...

We watch this same storyline play out this episode with a beautiful recap of the story of his father and moments alone with Charles and his partner, Alexandra in their Monaco Home. We watch him deal with the stress of winning Monaco in real time throughout the race... waiting and anticipating an issue... the stress so clear in his team radios. Except this time. He won.

Episode 5 Misses

1. My only criticism... and it is quite big... is that Drive To Survive nearly ruined this heartwarming and happy story for Charles by generating drama where there was none. They put in a frankly jarring storyline that Lewis and Valterri (amongst other drivers) would try to get into Charles head and throw him off his game. They also pit Charles and Oscar against each other. Yes, Oscar was P2 and fighting for a win - but it was completely unnecessary to the storyline.
   1. Netflix struggled this episode with allowing it to simple BE heartwarming. Not every episode needs drama.... manufactured drama at that.

Episode 6 - Wheels of Fortune

Key Plot Points

1. Papaya Rules.
2. Lando vs Oscar will McLaren choose a lead driver or keep them both as equals
3. Oscars Hungary and Baku wins
4. McLaren in the Championship fight against Red Bull

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McLaren doesn't know how to win

That title may seem dramatic, but it's exactly what my key takeaway is from this episode and from watching the F1 season itself. McLaren has had a horrible past couple of years in terms of performance and as highlighted in this episode, obviously, turned it around on a dime. However, with that turnaround came a slew of issues for McLaren.

'They have continued to make decisions that they shouldn’t make." Will Buxton

Now, I'm not going to dive into the list of incorrect strategy calls made by the team - especially mid season when they started winning, but the episode itself puts a LOT of focus on the Hungarian GP as a real catalyst for things changing at McLaren. As a quick recap, Oscar led most of the race before McLaren made an incorrect call to box Lando before Oscar and take the lead from Oscar. The team then did everything including BEG Lando to swap back with Oscar - which he inevitably did.

This entire storyline, including Zak and the teams' response were publicized for fans to see, but what the episode did add to an already fully developed storyline was Lando's commentary and point of view:

"At the end of the day I’m hired by McLaren. When they tell you to do something, you have to do it” - Lando Norris

In the end, as we know, McLaren did away with their 'equal drivers' strategy that was hurting their chances of winning and sabotaging their own points for Lando to be prioritized. In Baku, Oscar Piastri won the race to shoot McLaren into first place over Red Bull.

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Lando vs Oscar

“Its hard to explain to people being teammates but also your biggest rival” - Lando Norris

This is a storyline that emerges in Episode 6 as a result of the team, strategy calls, and 'f*** up's' discussed above. It's a point that DTS does well to hammer home to fans, especially with Lando's commentary, that it's a tight rope to walk between teammates.

What did surprise me though was that in the episode they included a lot of commentary meant to exacerbate that 'rivalry' from external factors. Multiple short interview clips from the likes of Christian Horner let the fans know that Oscar was in fact the favorite driver of the two. Christian went far enough to say that he would take Oscar over Lando for Red Bull 'any day'.

Episode 6 Misses

1. This could be due to media scheduling, but it felt as though Drive to Survive (honestly throughout the entire season so far) has not welcomed much commentary or focus on Oscar Piastri. This episode was literally about Lando, Oscar, and McLaren INCLUDING Oscar Piastri's first 2 race wins in Formula 1. Instead of hearing from Oscar, though, more than once or twice, we heard from the entire 'peanut gallery' of the paddock. We only got Lando's candid reaction to the Hungarian Grand Prix. We only got Zak's reactions to the strategy calls. While I acknowledge that this could've been schedule-based or a choice of Oscar's management - it still doesn't provide fans with the fullest picture of McLaren in 2024 without Oscar.
   1. Drive to Survive this season certainly feels like the Lando show.

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Episode 7 - In the Heat of the Night

Key Plot Points

1. A documentary of the Singapore Grand Prix.
2. Drivers were given phones to 'vlog' their experience.
3. The struggles of growing up together and all fighting for wins vs the state of their teams now.

Getting up close and personal

This episode was simultaneously the most plotless but interesting episodes Drive to Survive has brought to us this season. Did Singapore have such an interesting race that we needed an entire episode on it? No. Was the way that Netflix documented a bit of the 'behind the scenes' using vlog cameras that Lando Norris, George Russell, Alex Albon, and potentially although unclear Pierre/Charles very unique? Yes.

Although the Singapore Grand Prix is known as such a challenging race, the close up view of the drivers dealing with extreme time change (waking up at 2pm) to extreme heat really helps you understand the life of an F1 driver throughout the weekend. It also shed light a bit on dynamics of some of the drivers and the way that they have raced together for years.

You have a Charles Leclerc and a Lando Norris (even George Russell), fighting for race wins and podiums versus a Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon simply scrapping for a single point... and that's something that the drivers are keenly aware of, but we don't often hear them opening up about.

All in all, the approach of this episode provides a unique and intimate look at drivers' routines, challenges, and interactions while highlighting the camaraderie that they share (whether close friends or just through proximity). It added a special air of authenticity to this season that fans have been looking for from Drive to Survive for years.

Episode 7 Misses

1. While, yes, this episode was about authenticity and the reality of one of the toughest races on the calendar - there was one part that could've easily been left out. George Russell having a panic attack in the privacy of his drivers' room with the door shut. It was not necessary and it did not add to the plot, in my opinion.
2. Also, as an episode truly about the Singapore Grand Prix - Netflix omitted two key parts of the race:
   1. Daniel Ricciardo taking the fastest lap point (although not rewarded to him as he was under P10) from Lando Norris
   2. This was Daniel Ricciardo's last race in Formula 1. Although, perhaps this will be covered in the next episode - it would've made sense for this to at least have been alluded to in Episode 7.

Episode 8 - Elbows Out

Key Plot Points

1. Checo doesn't have what it takes to keep his Red Bull seat
2. Daniel Ricciardo doesn't have the hunger and results to replace Checo
3. Yuki doesn't have the full confidence of the team to replace Checo
4. Liam Lawson becomes a VCARB and then Red Bull Driver

The Red Bull Musical Chairs

This is the first episode this season of Drive to Survive that I simply said, wow. I knew the episode would be a doozy when I realized the theme would be Red Bull and VCARB drivers, considering the lineup that we now know just before the start of the 2025 season.

While there are some plot points that were unnecessary - like the first 7 minutes being about the Goodwood Festival of Speed - it was quickly established that by mid-season, the current Red Bull and VCARB lineups were not going to fly for either team, namely Christian Horner.

“If we were to replace Checo the obvious candidate we brought into the wings is Daniel. But has he still got it? Is he prepared to put everything on the line.” - Christian Horner

This was the sentiment leading into Silverstone. It was frankly the theme of 2/3 of the episode. Checo seemed to have already been written off well before the end of the season (queue the rumors he was leaving EVERY RACE), but what really shocked me in this episode is that Daniel had also been told Checo would be out mid season. The HUGE question remained though if Daniel still had the skill, but more importantly the FIRE the HEART to drive alongside Max.

“Walking away from Red Bull in 2018 was the biggest mistake he ever made” Will Buxton

As someone who is not a fan of Daniel Ricciardo, this is a sentiment I share. He didn't have the heart to continue at Red Bull - now, did I think he would lose his seat 2/3 of the way through the season? No.

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Liam Lawson vs all Red Bull drivers

Cut to Liam Lawson.

The theme of this episode was truly the fire and passion that could earn a driver a seat with Max Verstappen... and at least the way it was cut, the way Liam's 1:1 Netflix interviews showed, Liam had that fire x1000. Forget the results, forget the numbers, based on the actual words being spoken - Liam was always who they were looking for. Although, it was the Silverstone test where Liam was less than .2 off of Max having not driven for 7 months that clinched it for him.

In my humble opinion, that's where the Daniel drop came from - to really prepare Liam for the inevitable replacement of Checo before 2025. What did warm my heart is that while fans across the world 'mourned' the 'loss' of Daniel from F1 without a goodbye, Netflix did give their 'star' a sign off before introducing Liam as the newest VCARB driver.

As I said above, though, this swap was clearly made to position Liam for some more experience before unseating Checo. DTS included Mexico where Liam and Checo... battled... aggressively throughout the race and then boom: Liam is Max Verstappen's teammate at RedBull. Little to no thought was given to Yuki, in my opinion it was Liam's seat to lose after that Silverstone test - and it came down to one thing in this episode - Liam's FIRE.

"He’s like Max was 10 years ago. When’s the last time a stand in ended the career of 2 massively successful veteran drivers?" - Will Buxton

Episode 8 Misses

1. For the first episode this season, I would say there really wasn't much of a 'miss' per-se. Although some fans may be upset at the treatment of Yuki or Checo or Daniel, the way the story is told makes sense from a business standpoint. Formula 1 is a sport. Red Bull is a business. Although Red Bull is taking a risk on Liam, the way Episode 8 explains these swaps makes complete sense.
   1. I do wish there was a bit more storyline for Yuki, but I think the lack of that storyline is a testament to the fact that Red Bull simply never considered him as a serious contender to replace Checo.

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Episode 9: Under New Management

Key Plot Points

1. Guenther Steiner is fired and replaced by Ayao Komatsu at Haas
2. Flavio Briatore is brought in mid-season to lead Alpine
3. Battling for the all- important 6th place winnings
4. Haas brings an entirely new lineup for 2025 (Esteban and Ollie)
5. Alpine brings on Jack Doohan

Before we jump into Haas and Alpine - which is what this episode was about - this episode may have been the worst of this season of Drive to Survive. Partial storylines that started in the middle of the season, and in what felt like a "we're including Alpine and Haas because we have to" move.

Ayao and Haas

The episode takes a light touch approach at the entry of Komatsu as the leader of Haas. If you watched this season of F1 at all, you would know that with Ayao Komatsu at the helm of Haas, the team saw ACTUAL results. To the point that they were consistently in the points and completely revitalized the Haas F1 Team.

The narrative built in this episode - that was already pretty apparent to the fans- was that leadership that is effective, data-driven, and supportive can make all of the difference in the success of a team. This side of the episode focused less on Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenburg and much more on Ayao (and a touch of Ollie). If this episode was meant to get fans excited about the prospect of a STRONG mid-field Haas team in 2025, then they accomplished the goal.

Flavio Briatore and Alpine

"Flavio is either known as a kingmaker or a complete nightmare to work with." - Will Buxton

The entry of Briatore and the way that Netflix positioned it in contrast to Ayao was VERY intentional. Ayao with a soft, yet firm touch, and Flavio, the unkind bulldozer. Although I don't think combining these 2 storylines into one makes much sense - considering Flavio wasn't brought to Alpine until May- the contrast of the journeys of the 2 teams including their shared driver of Esteban did make for an intimate view into the impact of leadership on a team.

Flavio frankly came off in this episode exactly how his reputation described him. He hated Esteban and scrapped him before the LAST race of the season. He wanted someone he could "own" and promoted Jack... and yes... he did, in fact, use the words "own".

Episode 9 Misses

1. As I said, this episode felt like an afterthought. Quite frankly, more than Alpine, Haas could have had its own episode altogether with a far more positive tone than diluting their success with that of Alpine in the end of the season. Haas had an incredible turnaround between 2023-2024, with two experienced drivers - in my opinion, THAT earned itself an episode.
2. Additionally, the episode does not delve deeply into the reactions of other teams and drivers to these leadership changes, missing an opportunity to showcase the ripple effects within the Formula 1 community - especially considering this impacted the driver market IMMENSELY.
3. Pushing to the side the fact that I don't think these two teams' stories should have been combined... the episode only discussed the performance of their final races. Drive to Survive tends to do this with a number of teams that are not the 'key plot point' of the season. So in this case, really only McLaren and Red Bull got the 'entire story included' treatment. That said, Haas and Alpine's seasons were not defined by their final races, and the episode really tried to spin THAT narrative. It's about the journey as much as the result @ Netflix.

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Episode 10: End Game

Key Plot Points

1. Heartbreak for Lando and McLaren in general in Brazil after Max's P17-> P1.
2. Max taking the World Driver's Championship in Las Vegas.
3. McLaren becoming World Constructors Champions for the 1st time since 1998.

This is the end

“The wildest season in F1 history. Surprise after surprise.” - Will Buxton

Wild it was. This episode wraps our biggest questions up in a nice little bow.

Who will be the champion? Max Verstappen

What team will come out on top? McLaren

There isn't much more to add! The episode runs through the most consequential race of the season, in Brazil - capturing the the tension and emotions behind the toughest fight Max Verstappen faced this season. one of the toughest fights of his season.

With the final race in Abu Dhabi, the biggest plot point of this episode is McLaren vs Ferrari, though - a storyline that didn't emerge until the final few races as Red Bull dropped back in points. Hundreds of millions of dollars on the line and Max collides with Oscar on Lap 1. Trust me... we all remember the anxiety of that moment - Ferrari and McLaren fans alike. Ultimately, Lando clinches victory at the race, securing McLaren's first Constructors' Championship since 1998.

As I said - a neat little bow! And that's that for 2024!

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What did Drive to Survive miss?

Before I say goodbye to my Drive to Survive marathon day and recap for you all - there are MASSIVE moments from the 2024 season that were omitted. While I understand that so much happened this season, truly not all could be covered, some of these have fans slow blinking in frustration at Netflix:

1. Franco Colapinto didn't exist at all in the show
2. Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull for Aston Martin
3. Williams' struggles at all beyond the acquisition of Carlos Sainz
4. Kevin Magnussen leaving Formula 1 after being replaced by Ollie Bearman
5. Valtteri Bottas leaving Formula 1
6. George vs Max scandal
7. Any scandal related to the FIA
   1. Safety concerns
   2. Marshall-gate
   3. Swearing Scandal and the GDPA

Fîn.