While not showing George Russell much last season at all, Netflix have overcorrected on this front. Now they show a lotof George Russell. Not to say that it isn’t interesting. It’s fun to know what Williams thought of all the rumours that Russell was going to Mercedes. The answer was that they didn’t like it.

We get a good focus on McLaren that mixes to a greater effect the behind-the-scenes and race aspects of the documentary. It doesn’t feel like a simple a recount of how Daniel Ricciardo’s race in Monza went. You get a whole character arc for Ricciardo without it having to feel forced or fabricated. It’s great. You even discover the deeper rivalry and tension between Lando Norris and Ricciardo that could only be guessed at during the season. But this could have also been fabricated as some have already claimed.

One of Drive to Survive’s biggest detriments is the exclusion of Max Verstappen. That isn’t the show’s fault (kind of) as Verstappen has refused to provide Netflix with interviews. The problem is that when you focus so heavily on the title fight and don’t even have the perspective of one of the contenders, it feels one-sided. You’ve got Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, defending Max’s actions on track or complaining about Lewis Hamilton, but it does feel like something is missing without Max’s input. It’s a complaint but there isn’t really much the producers can do about it. It does give Mercedes the PR advantage though, especially as it pertains to the Verstappen’s contentious title win.

They’ve changed the structure of the show to create a more linear timeline rather than constant jumping back and forth in the season. It does have some benefits, you’re no longer confused about motivation or when in the season this is taking place and it does fuel the overall title battle narrative, building into what they must’ve thought was a crescendo at the end. It’s a fine change but it does mean that certain teams don’t get any attention at all.

There is a focus on fewer teams this season and that means there is less behind-the-scenes content. Granted, what was going on at Ferrari or Alfa Romeo this year may not have been as interesting as the other teams. It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t have been interesting business dealings or a strange team dynamic as an F1 team doesn’t seem like a place where things are often smooth sailing. Surely there is something worth reporting on. Like Antonio Giovinazzi’s precarious position at Alfa Romeo. Then again, if they avoid the less interesting teams then they don’t have to fabricate drama or stories. So it’s a double edged sword.

Overall, this isn’t different to previous Drive to Survive seasons really so in that sense it’s still a great way to get new people into the sport. The downside is that while the linear structure removes a lot of the jumping around through time and teams it means you may miss out on what’s going on with your favourite driver. Though this time there is less fabricated drama, there is also less behind-the-scenes content that is really the best part of the series. Too much time has been given to retelling events that many fans saw live. This doesn’t mean that the series is bereft of the good stuff but it is less interesting.