Verstappen lifts lid on Netflix talks after Drive to Survive disagreement

05 February 2023 , 09:16

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Max Verstappen has previously refused to engage with the Netflix series (Image: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen has lifted the lid on talks with Netflix bosses that led to him agreeing to feature in the latest Drive to Survive series.

The fifth season of the popular series, focusing on the Red Bull driver's dominant 2022 season, will be released on February 24. It will air just prior to the start of the 2023 campaign and the opening race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen has previously refused to engage with those filming the series, arguing it gives a false portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes in F1. But after the Red Bull New York livery launch on Friday, the Dutch star explained that he had talked through his concerns with Netflix chiefs before agreeing to take part.

“I always wanted to be part of it but said it needs to be a realistic image of how I am," he told reporters. "That’s why we needed to talk about it first and they understood my side of it, and I understand in general that when you create a show there needs to be drama and it needs to be exciting.

"But I’m a guy who thinks it’s also important that you are portrayed well, and not start to have comments put under different footage, when it didn’t happen like that. So I explained that was my view and that otherwise I didn’t want to be a part of it. They understood, so we’ll see once it comes out what they made of it."

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The award-winning series has proved a phenomenal success, and been largely credited for attracting a new audience to the sport. Its popularity has led to Netflix following suit in other sports such as golf, tennis, and rugby union.

Verstappen dominated the 2022 campaign (Seth Wenig/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

And Verstappen, 25, also acknowledged that the programme boosted the profile of his sport. "But I’m positive, of course, because I
know it’s important for Formula 1," he added.

"I just focus on my job and I know the media is a part of it. You deal with it and grow up as a person, in racing and in life personally. When that happens, you can probably deal with stuff easier than five or six years ago.”

Verstappen has endured a spiky relationship with the media of late, and last season he and Team Principal Christian Horner chose to boycott interviews with Sky Sports at the Mexico Grand Prix. Their stance came after Sky F1 reporter Ted Kravitz said Lewis Hamilton was "robbed" of the 2021 title, which Verstappen sealed in highly controversial fashion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Fraser Watson