Verstappen on new season of Drive to Survive: 'They understand my point'

After a year's absence, Max Verstappen will soon be seen again in the Netflix series Drive to Survive. Speaking to Italian medium Corriere dello Sport the two-time world champion explained what is different this year from previous years.

The success of Drive to Survive is hard to deny. Especially in America, the Netflix series has gained many new fans to Formula 1. Most notably, Guenther Steiner, Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo have received a lot of attention from the series, which does dramatised coverage of a Formula One season.

Series received criticism from Verstappen

Verstappen, however, is by no means a fan of the Netflix series. For the past three seasons, he refused to participate in the series on the grounds that the reporting would not be truthful, and initially it seemed that he would opt out again in 2022. Last summer, however, the Dutchman backtracked on that after talking to the series' creators. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Verstappen explained a little more about why he did participate this year after all.

"Drive To Survive has been very important for the spread of F1," Verstappen began. "I understand that as a world champion I have to participate in such a production. I always said I wanted to appear as I really am. I talked about it with the makers of the series and they understood my point of view. I understand the need to make fiction spectacular, but I am a man who cares a lot about presenting a truthful picture of himself and I asked that this be respected."

The fifth season of Drive to Survive will be released on 24 February. Netflix recently shared a short teaser of what fans can expect from the new season.