Drive to Survive SEASON 4

This feature on Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 discusses the ending and the Abu Dhabi F1 finale, so it will contain spoilers. I don't think I'll.

The last episode of Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 4 proves that the decisions made in that final race did not work. But what’s evident in the ending of Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 is that a mentality had been fostered by Team Principal Christian Horner and the Red Bull team. Formula 1: Drive to Survive proved its value by highlighting the truth. The fact that a Netflix series that has always wanted to foster the greatness of the sport does not support the decisions in that final race says absolutely everything. The race did not need manipulation to be entertaining. If anything, it shows how desperate they were to win regardless of what it means for the sport around the world. It ensures that when the participants partake in the sport, they do so in the fairest way possible. If they are the best, and they deliver, they win. And with the release of season 4 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, there has been this notion of “deserving champion.” But the last lap at Abu Dhabi was never about whether Max won a championship that day or how talented he was. Unfortunately for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, most of the race (dominated by Lewis Hamilton) had been completed, and the safety car came too late. Fortunately for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Michael Masi decided to create a new scenario that did not exist in the sport’s rules, and he allowed only the lapped cars between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to overtake the safety car. Hence why Michael Masi decided to restart the race (if possible) “as is.” Alternatively, the Racing Director could have issued a red flag, but it was not a red flag situation.

Nothing about Netflix's fourth season of F1: Drive To Survive is accurate and that's why it's incredible.

By the time Daniel Ricciardo wins the Italian Grand Prix, it's surprising Norris hasn't been arrested for war crimes in the DTS universe and I was starting to watch for signals that the pundits weren't being held at gunpoint. It turns out the only way I can digest the genuinely distressing facts of the 2021 F1 world championship is as a completely deranged piece of fanfiction that's both poorly written and so obviously cheapened with its own strange agendas it's genuinely funny. In previous seasons I haven't really known what to make of Drive To Survive because I've been a Formula 1 fan for nearly 30 years and have worked in it for the last half-decade so a lot of the drama feels incredibly fake. The third, then, manages to straight-faced tell the story of the Monaco Grand Prix as though it was a drama-filled nailbiter, not a race that was mostly very, very funny due to Valtteri Bottas' stuck nut. Then last year happened, when things got so out of control Megan Thee Stallion ended up in a championship rivalry with Martin Brundle and the horrible, fever-pitch beefing had me desperate for the season to end, no matter the outcome. I don't care whether Drive To Survive is meant to reflect the 2021 Formula 1 world championship—I only care that everything wrong with it is incredibly funny and it's turning me into a horrible, extremely entertained person.

It's part-race recaps, part behind-the-scenes looks at drivers and the teams behind them, and part-F1 explainer. As of today, it's into its fourth season. About ...

It's the kind of thing I could see myself accidentally falling into given one more lockdown or stint in iso. Things seem to go horribly wrong very often so you have no idea whether the drivers you're rooting for will win, place, or even survive the race. And you also learn about cars. Or, after a few seasons, has the line kind of blurred? So you start to root for them as they get into these refreshingly real (for reality TV) spats with their opponents and teammates. I follow all the not-evil drivers on Instagram now.