All sports have dramas, secrets, and things they try to hide as best as possible. At the moment when competition occurs and it is done for obscene amounts of money, it is inevitable that there are people who consider it legitimate to behave in a less than stellar manner ethically speaking. Sometimes also legally. And there is no sport that exemplifies this better than Formula 1.

Even if we overlook the most obvious traps and the most questionable dramas, Formula 1 is built on drama. About drivers with significant personal interests, about historic comebacks, about overcoming very strict limitations, about finding a way to gain an advantage without breaking the rules. Or without getting caught. That makes it fascinating. And while not all of this can be documented, or not in front of a camera, it certainly makes for a fascinating documentary. A whole documentary series. Something that demonstrates Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

An interesting sport both on and off the track

Announced for the first time on March 24, 2018, and premiered on March 8, 2019, Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a documentary series about the Formula 1 World Cup with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. Originally intended to focus exclusively on the 2018 cup, with limited access to teams, the series was a tremendous success.

The premise was simple: each episode focuses on a race and some of the people involved in it. With both the racers and the engineers or the owners of the bodies as protagonists, it offers us a glimpse into everything that happens during the competition. Not only focusing on the results of the races, but also on what happens in the lives of each of those involved, what it means for the teams, or how some of the triumphs are not even sports-related, but rather engineering or business achievements. Providing us with a much more complex and multifaceted view of what this sport is.

All of this is accompanied by absolutely superb production. With delicate shots that seek to emphasize the beauty of the races and the cars, it is a documentary series that stands out for the care of its visual aspect. Always spectacular to watch and listen to, it is not a succession of talking heads: it is always interesting to follow and, surprisingly, it does not have that characteristic Netflix look. Something that gives it a very particular value.

Perhaps that’s why they decided to continue expanding the coverage of the documentary series in successive tournaments. Returning each year to cover the events, with all the teams joining the production from its second season, nothing has stopped the series from continuing to grow and expand over time. Not even the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from taking care of the recording of the 2020 cup, even if they had to delay the recording for four months.

Now the eighth season arrives, covering the 2025 Formula 1 Season. With some absolutely incredible stories ahead, an unexpected champion, and some rule changes that they will surely take advantage of, there is a lot to look forward to in this new season.

Although Formula 1 fans know the results and are just a couple of clicks away, for those who know nothing, they can now find out what awaits them in this new season. Because it has been available since February 26 to show us once again that Formula 1 is the king of drama when it comes to sports.

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