Formula 1: McLaren’s Lando Norris takes aim at Netflix smash hit Drive to Survive over Max Verstappen portrayal

Lando Norris (centre) of McLaren with Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing, left) and Sir Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) on the podium at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024. Photo / Photosport

Lando Norris has become the latest driver to criticise Netflix’s smash-hit Formula 1: Drive to Survive series, calling elements of the show “fabricated nonsense” and claiming it has “drifted too far from reality”.

Norris, 25, who won Sunday’s season-opener in Melbourne, acknowledged the show’s effect on the sport as a whole, including on his own profile. But he admitted he was unhappy with the portrayal of his relationship with rival Max Verstappen in the most recent series, which has just been released.

Norris and Verstappen, who are generally good friends, fought a season-long battle for the 2024 drivers’ title, which spilled over on occasion, with Norris at one stage demanding an apology from the Red Bull driver after a coming-together in Austria.

“Just the portrayal of Max and how we were against each other so much,” he said when asked what he disliked about the show. “They don’t need to create [drama] ... there’s drama [already]. They can just show the facts of the drama. They don’t need to do anything more than that. Maybe it needs to be more of a documentary of the season, more than a show like they’re trying to do.

“It [the show] is a good thing for F1. Good for the fans. They still get to see a lot behind the scenes, which you never get to see. That’s important and I want them to keep doing it. But they need to come back to reality a bit more, it’s drifted too far away.

“I think they need to show the truth about people more. I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts. I don’t want made-up scripts and fabricated nonsense, which there is.”

Verstappen has in the past refused to work with the show, complaining about the creative editing process.

It is understood that other drivers have similar concerns; in particular, about their lack of control over the narratives that Netflix chooses to push; the fact that they only get to review the footage in which they feature, often without any context; and about the reordering and splicing of footage and audio from different races and moments in the season.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the seventh season noticed that a sequence of Verstappen looking glum after Norris won in Miami last year was actually footage of Verstappen from Zandvoort, where he was also beaten by the McLaren driver. It has been changed since the release last Friday. Verstappen himself claimed to have had “the best time ever” following his friend’s win.

Some drivers also claim that NFL players have been paid to appear in Netflix-backed series Quarterback and are believed to have questioned the amount of time they commit to the show when they cannot control the narrative that is then created.

In 2023, the United States Ryder Cup golf team voted not to allow Netflix access to their team room because players were not due to benefit financially from the deal. Xander Schauffele’s father Stefan Schauffele said: “Apart from the fact the guys don’t get paid, you cannot make a deal with a third party that we are not party to for rights into eternity.”

Quarterback is produced by NFL Films and Omaha Productions, while Drive to Survive is produced by Box To Box Films for Netflix.

Formula One said in a statement: “Drive to Survive has been a very important part of growing the sport and reaching new audiences. We should focus on the positive impact of the series and not criticise something that has been hugely beneficial to the whole sport.”

A statement from the producers of Drive to Survive added: “The stories we tell across a series of Drive to Survive are not fabricated, the narratives clearly follow real events. In order to help make Formula One appeal to a wider audience, we tell these stories in an entertaining and compelling way, which has helped drive leagues of new fans to the sport; a legacy we’re incredibly proud of.

“We would obviously love to have cameras with the drivers 24/7 to capture every moment as it happens, but this isn’t possible; we have to edit the limited footage we are able to capture. The series is produced under incredible schedule pressure, and sometimes mistakes do happen.

“When these are pointed out to us, as was the case this year with some footage of Max post-Miami GP, we move to correct these unintentional errors. Ultimately, Drive to Survive is an entertainment show, not a season review, and we hope to continue helping F1 deliver entertaining content in future.”