Netflix and System 1 have formally confirmed that the hit docuseries Drive to Survive will return for a ninth season and in true DTS fashion they’ve trigger an issue with only a single picture.
The hit present (is it nonetheless successful?) will drop in in early 2027, following all of the drama, new technical rules, and grid shake-ups of the 2026 racing marketing campaign.
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After eight seasons spanning again to its 2019 debut, the present continues to divide the paddock and fanbase alike. Whereas reactions to the renewal vary from pleasure over recent storylines-like the rise of Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli-to rising fatigue over a predictable construction, the present will nonetheless purpose to discover the game’s “hidden sides.” Hypothesis is already mounting round episodes that includes the grid debuts of Audi and Cadillac, alongside intense driver rivalries.
The Omission Inflicting Quick Backlash
Regardless of the hype surrounding the renewal, a single promotional picture launched alongside the announcement by Netflix and F1 has already set off a wave of controversy throughout social media: Max Verstappen is nowhere to be seen.
For a collection documenting top-tier System 1 motion, omitting the four-time World Champion from the preliminary hero promo has raised eyebrows. Nonetheless, long-time viewers know that Drive to Survive is known for manufacturing controversy out of skinny air-and this strategic exclusion would possibly simply be their newest stunt.
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Verstappen’s stormy relationship with the Netflix manufacturing crew is nicely documented. The Dutch driver famously boycotted interviews for the collection in earlier seasons, citing the present’s tendency to faux rivalries, edit quotes out of context, and over-dramatize incidents. By inserting Verstappen within the background-or leaving him out of promotional supplies entirely-Netflix and F1 might merely be leaning into the meta-drama to generate clicks and debates earlier than a single episode of Season 9 even airs.
AutoGuide’s Take
There isn’t a denying the historic impression of Drive to Survive. When it first landed on screens, it was a revolution for motorsports. It introduced System 1 into the mainstream American consciousness, introducing thousands and thousands of recent followers to the game by lifting the visor and giving us an unprecedented look contained in the lives, tensions, and personalities of F1 drivers.
However that groundbreaking peak was almost 9 years in the past. Right now, the present seems like a tragic shadow of its former self.
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Reasonably than providing real peek-behind-the-curtain documentary filmmaking, the collection has settled right into a drained, formulaic routine of stitched-together radio calls, dramatic pause edits, and recycled storylines. Netflix hasn’t carried out something actually new or revolutionary with the format in years. Until Season 9 manages to reinvent the way it covers the game underneath the 2026 rules, Drive to Survive dangers remaining a sufferer of its personal repetitive system.
We’ll undoubtedly nonetheless watch it although.
