Future of Drive to Survive not guaranteed: 'Must give added value'

On Friday, March 11, the fourth season of the Netflix series Drive to Survive will be released. Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali praises the impact of the series, but cautions that it must continue to add value to the sport.

The Netflix series about F1 has been a great success. The first three seasons were frequently watched and brought many new fans to the sport. The fourth season tells the story of the exciting and controversial 2021 season including the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Domenicali has already seen the new season and praises the series for its fantastic visuals."There is no doubt that Drive to Survive has had an incredible effect, mainly on the new audiences. I can anticipate to you that you have to stay tuned to the new series, there will be a lot of action," the CEO told the Wall Street analysts.

Netflix series must continue to add value

Yet despite its success, there is no guarantee that the series will continue in the coming years, the Italian says. "If it’s becoming just a different way to speak about F1 without adding, or giving to the F1 platform any added value, maybe I think it’s better to renegotiate and see with Netflix and with the other partners what could be a possibility to do something different in the future."

Although the fifth season of Drive to Survive has not yet been officially announced, it seems that it is already in production. Indeed, Netflix logos were spotted during the first week of testing in Barcelona. The new season will have ten episodes.