Drive to Survive is returning for its sixth season in 2024, giving many F1 fans a much-needed fix of last season’s action. It was previously revealed that the popular Netflix documentary would be returning with coverage from the 2023 season as part of a two-season renewal in May 2022, with season 5 airing in early 2023.
2023 was a dominant year for Red Bull with Max Verstappen claiming 19 out of 22 races and securing his third world championship title. Sergio Perez took second place in the championship and won two races in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.
However, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz ensured a stop to Red Bull’s winning streak with the only win to be secured by another team during a thrilling race in Singapore. With Netflix cameras being spotted throughout the year, fans will be eager to see which key moments have been filmed.
When is the release date for Drive to Survive season 6?
Netflix has confirmed that Drive to Survive season 6 will be released on 23 February 2024, which coincides with the final day of pre-season testing. The release of the hit F1 documentary comes just a week before the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
How to watch Drive to Survive season 6
Drive to Survive season 6 will be available to watch on Netflix. The previous 5 seasons are also available to watch on the streaming platform before the next episodes are released. Netflix have revealed that there will be ten episodes ranging between 30 minutes and an hour long.
Netflix starts at £4.99 a month and is available to watch online, as well as on smart TVs and phones and tablets via the Netflix app.
What happens in Drive to Survive season 6?
Netflix has announced what fans can expect from season 6 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming season:
Episode 1: “Money Talks”
The first episode of the new Drive to Survive season will look at Aston Martin as they are set to take on two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Part-owner Lawrence Stroll is looking to do whatever it takes for his team to win a world championship, but dreams could be over before the season even begins.
Episode 2: “Fall from Grace”
There are high hopes for AlphaTauri’s rookie driver Nyck de Vries after he claimed world championship titles in Formula 2 (2019) and Formula E (2020-2021). But with pressure mounting, the Dutchman is struggling to perform.
Episode 3: “Under Pressure”
McLaren are looking to repair their reputation after a disappointing couple of years. With the car getting off to a rocky start and letting Lando Norris down for another year, he begins to consider his options.
Episode 4: “The Last Chapter”
The back of the grid is facing an intense battle between Haas and Williams. With one team choosing to stick to tradition, the other is planning some bold new moves.
Episode 5: “Civil War”
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly become team-mates for 2023 after a fierce rivalry since the pair were children. Will the drivers be able to overcome their differences and work together as a team?
Episode 6: “Leap of Faith”
Lewis Hamilton has been driving with Mercedes for the last 13 years, winning six world championships together. But with little reward and his contract up for renewal, the British driver has a big decision to make.
Episode 7: “C’est la Vie”
Alpine sees huge investment from several big-name celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds, Rory McIlroy and Travis Kelce, which adds increasing pressure on the team’s management. But with poor results and two frustrated drivers, something must change.
Episode 8: “Forza Ferrari”
Ferrari arrive at Moza to greet the excited Tifosi . All eyes are on Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to bring home a win for the team.
Episode 9: “Three’s a Crowd”
Daniel Ricciardo makes his return to Formula 1 having been axed by McLaren at the end of 2022. After an impressive performance as Red Bull’s third driver he’s given another chance, but an accident sends him back to the sidelines, bringing in rookie Liam Lawson.
Episode 10: “Red or Black”
As the season is coming to an end and the world championships are already secured, rivals Mercedes and Ferrari continue to battle it out for second place in the constructors’ championship.
Drive to Survive season 6 trailer
Netflix also gave fans a sneak peak at the upcoming season during last month’s Netflix Cup event. The short clip showed McLaren’s Lando Norris and CEO Zak Brown at a golf course talking about the team’s poor start to the 2023 season.
Norris is seen talking to Brown about the “tough” start to the year before discussing their hopes for the rest of the season. Although it’s not revealed when in the year this clip was filmed it is highly likely that the discussion took place before Norris had seven podiums towards the end of the year, with his team-mate Oscar Piastri also securing some trophies.
It is hoped that Verstappen will return for his second season on the show after previously boycotting the first four seasons, citing faked storylines which made the show “over the top”. Talks with the producers had ultimately convinced the three-time world champion to take part in Season 5, where he revealed that he “always wanted to be a part” of the programme but that Drive to Survive “needs to be realistic”.
Netflix Drive to Survive season 5 recap
Each season of Drive to Survive corresponds to a world championship year, so season 5 of the Netflix F1 documentary followed the drivers and team during the 2022 year. The last season of the show was released in February 2023 and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the sport.
Episode 1: The New Dawn started with the beginning of the season in Bahrain and Ferrari’s hopes of making a return to competing for the world championship. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz faced increasing pressure from the team to perform against Red Bull and Mercedes. The push from the Italian team seemed to pay off with Leclerc winning the race and Sainz taking second.
At Haas, a last-minute decision had to be made with their driver line-up after the team decided to drop Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Haas decided to bring back Kevin Magnussen to the team after they went with different drivers for the 2021 season.
Episode 2: Bounce Back looks at the struggles faced by Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton faces a fight with the team’s redesigned car that was known for its porpoising. His previous 15 years of experience was able to help Hamilton provide feedback to the team as they tried to fix the car.
The team’s principal Toto Wolff faces increased tension within the team and with other team principals as he works to try and find solutions.
Episode 3: Matter of Principal focuses on Ferrari as they have a successful start to the season. The team faced increasing pressure from high expectations as Leclerc took pole wins in two out of the first four races. The pressure starts to appear too much for the team as they begin facing reliability issues with their car. At the end of 2022, team principal Mattia Binotto resigned from his role following the downfall of the team.
Episode 4: Like Father Like Son? Looks at Mick Schumacher’s time at Haas. The German faced growing pressure to perform to the standard of his father, Michael Schumacher. The episode looked at his one and only year in Formula 1 before Haas made the decision to not renew his contract for the 2023 year.
Episode 5: Pardon My French follows Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer as they try to revive the team’s performance. With an upcoming driver shuffle at the end of year, Alpine were set to lose Fernando Alsonso to Aston Martin and the team must fill their empty seat. Szafnauer continues to focus on improving the team’s performance. Although not featured in Drive to Survive season 5, the team principal was kicked out of his role midway through the 2023 season.
Episode 6: Daniel Ricciardo and his future at McLaren featured in the sixth episode, Nice Guys Finish Last. The team have been considering changing their driver line-up for 2023. McLaren began searching for a potential replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, which would leave the Australian without a seat.
Episode 7: Hot Seat takes a look at Red Bull as they continue their domination of the 2022 season. Sergio Perez faces pressure to perform at the Monaco Grand Prix as Red Bull looked to extend their lead from Ferrari. Tensions run high after the Mexican driver crashes in qualifying which also puts Max Verstappen in a difficult position for Sunday’s race.
Episode 8: Alpha Male follows Pierre Gasly as he makes his decision to leave AlphaTauri, resulting in Yuki Tsunoda being left without a team-mate. The Japanese driver must step up and perform to show he can lead the team into the next year as he faces losing his team-mate.
AlphaTauri then reveal they will sign rookie driver Nyck de Vries, who appears as a potential threat as he comes from being both a Formula E and Formula 2 champion.
Episode 9: Over The Limit focuses on Red Bull’s success and the jeopardy the team faces as the FIA launch an investigation into accusations around the team’s finances. Red Bull continues to defend their title despite the reputation of the team at stake. At the end of the year the team were faced with a $7 million fine as well as a 10% reduction in time they could use the wind tunnel for testing.
Episode 10: End Of The Road follows the intense final race battle between Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull had already successfully secured the championship title earlier in the season and the battle for second place remained tense.
