Season 6 of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive,’ the popular behind-the-scenes documentary series charting the trials and tribulations of the teams and drivers in the Formula 1 paddock will air on the global streaming platform on February 23.
First aired in 2019 and following a handful of teams and drivers throughout the 2018 F1 season, ‘Drive to Survive’ is massively credited for helping popularise the sport on a global scale, particularly in the United States of America.
Produced by Box to Box Films, the show, (oft referred to as DTS) has helped spawn similar series in the worlds of Golf (Full Swing) and Tennis (Break Point).
As well as this, other motorsport series have sought to capitalise on the DTS phenomenon with their own behind-the-scenes content.
Formula E has its series ‘Unplugged’ on Discovery+ and TNT Sports (with shortened episodes on YouTube) and IndyCar launched the first season of ‘100 Days to Indy’ in 2023 on the American network The CW.
Similarly, the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship each produce a free behind-the-scenes series on YouTube – the FIA WEC with ‘Full Access’ and IMSA with ‘Win the Weekend.’
NASCAR is the latest series to jump on the trend, with its show ‘NASCAR: Full Speed,” a five-part series covering the 2023 playoffs releasing on Netflix on January 30.
‘Drive to Survive’ is seen as a suitable gateway for new fans to enter the sport and gain knowledge of its teams and drivers, but has received criticism for supposedly contriving false narratives and using incorrect audio and video in particular areas for effect.
A popular figure who will presumably be featuring in his final season is former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner, who has become a hit with viewers thanks to his colourful personality amid the American-based team’s struggles toward the back of the grid.
The release date of February 23 comes after all of the announced F1 season launches and coincides with the third and final day of the Bahrain pre-season test.
With the opening Grand Prix of 2024 coming a week later, ‘Drive to Survive’ fans will have to binge-watch the new season to view all the episodes in time for new stories to be written in the coming campaign.
