Max Verstappen confirmed he has given interviews for the newest series of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which will air on Netflix early next year.
The documentary is onto its fifth series after becoming popular among viewers on the streaming platform. The show has been credited with introducing F1's biggest personalities to a new audience and helping he sport to grow at a very fast rate in recent years.
But it has also come in for some criticism. Many of the complaints about the show accuse it of over-dramatizing certain events. It is a claim that has been denied by the producers, as James Gay-Rees said last year: "Nobody could point to any misrepresentations or inaccuracies in the series."
Verstappen was clear in his feelings about the show as he declared last year that he would not be involved in the making of series four. "They faked a few rivalries which don’t really exist," the Red Bull driver explained. "So I decided to not be a part of it and did not give any more interviews after that because then there is nothing you can show.
"I am not really a dramatic show kind of person, I just want facts and real things to happen. The problem is they will always position you in a way they want, so whatever you say, they will try to make you look reckless or trying to make you... whatever fits the story of the series."
The show got around the absence of that season's world champion by making the main storyline less about his title fight with Lewis Hamilton and, instead, gearing it towards the simmering rivalry between Mercedes chief Toto Wolff and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
But it would be more noticeable this time if the double world champion was missing from back-to-back seasons. With that in mind, the producers appear to have gone out of their way to appease the Dutchman to get him back involved with the show.
Verstappen green-lighted the cameras again in 2022 and took part in interviews with the makers of the show. Speaking to GQ as part of their Men of the Year series, he told the interviewer that he had, that same day, taken part in a recording session with the Netflix crew.
"It's just good to understand what we both want from each other, right?" he said. "I think the interview we did was good, so... I just wanted to keep it real. You know, no fake stuff. No overhyped things, because that's not how I am. I just want it to be to the point and my opinion and how I see things. Of course, we still need to see the end product, but it all sounds good."
