Christian Horner’s Leaked Chat to Daniel Ricciardo’s Exit: 5 Big Stories Drive to Survive S7 Will Feature

It’s that time of the year again. Drive to Survive’s new season is set to release on March 7, just a week before the 2025 F1 campaign kicks off in Melbourne.

There have been six seasons of Drive to Survive so far. Yes, it’s been that long. And the show has done wonders for the sport, bringing in a huge wave of new fans and aiding in the massive popularity boost witnessed in recent years.

With how dramatic the 2024 season was both on and off the track, season seven of Drive to Survive (DTS) promises to be one of its best installments yet. But given the amount of exciting subplots of last year, Netflix may need more than 10 episodes to accommodate even just the best ones.

Regardless, here are five big stories that could feature in Netflix’s blockbuster docuseries.

Leaks of the Christian Horner scandal

2024 began with a bang. Not because of any on-track spectacle, but because of the drama surrounding the investigation into Christian Horner’s inappropriate behavior allegations.

The complaint, lodged by an anonymous Red Bull employee, was first filed in December 2023 and in the build-up to the 2024 campaign, it blew up. All the media could talk about was whether Horner would be fired, fined, or punished in some or the other form by F1 or other authorities.

At one point, leaked chats of Horner allegedly sharing explicit texts with the accuser were distributed among the media in the paddock. And according to veteran F1 journalist Kym Illman, Netflix too, were recipients of the same.

“Maybe we’ll learn a little more, give their access,” Illman said on YouTube. “…or it could all be just a rehash of what we already know.”

There’s only one way to find out, and you already know what it is.

Daniel Ricciardo’s brutal and heartbreaking farewell

A beloved personality among the F1 community, 2024 also saw Ricciardo leave the paddock, perhaps for the last time ever.

RB had signed him in 2023, in hopes of seeing him perform well for Red Bull’s sister team and join Max Verstappen at the main team upon Sergio Perez’s potential exit. However, his performances were so underwhelming that his RB seat soon came under danger.

Predictably enough, the 2024 Singapore GP turned out to be his last-ever outing as Red Bull pulled the plug midway on Ricciardo, with six races left in the campaign. The exit was unceremonious and fans weren’t happy with how the Honey Badger left without getting a last hurrah.

Details of this departure and how the paddock reacted to it will surely be covered on season seven of Drive to Survive.

Williams’ mid-season swap

Ricciardo was not the only mid-season sacking of 2024. There was another driver on the grid who was underperforming, possibly on a grander level than Ricciardo and that was American driver Logan Sargeant.

Williams choosing to fire him did not come as any surprise whatsoever. It was inevitable. But what was interesting was the replacement chosen by James Vowles.

The Team Principal of the Grove-based squad decided to overlook former F1 talents like Mick Schumacher in favor of Williams’ academy driver Franco Colapinto for the second half of the season. The Argentine was a lucrative choice, given the amount of money he brought in from sponsors in his home country.

On track too, he performed well, scoring multiple points for Williams. Behind the scenes footage of Colapinto’s arrival and his first days in F1 will be a part of Drive to Survive.

Max Verstappen’s new British rival

In 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton rattled the world of F1 with their extraordinarily fierce and competitive rivalry. There was so little to separate the two that they went into the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on points.

2024’s title battle was not that close, but for the first time since Hamilton, someone had given Verstappen a run for his money: Lando Norris.

Yes, the Briton made quite a few mistakes which ultimately proved costly in his pursuit for the crown. But it most likely laid the foundations for a future title push, which could come as early as 2025.

Verstappen and Norris also developed a rivalry, which although not as heated as the one the Dutchman shared with Hamilton, certainly had its moments.

At the Austrian GP, a collision with Verstappen made the McLaren driver rethink their friendship. Drive to Survive thrives on off-track drama, and in this case, there’s little need for exaggeration — it’s already spicy enough.

Of course, Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari

Horner’s scandal was a bitter way to start F1 in 2024. But just a month into the year, the entire focus shifted to Lewis Hamilton‘s mega announcement.

The seven-time world champion decided to part ways with Mercedes, opting to join Ferrari instead. It broke the internet, boosted Ferrari’s stocks, had Toto Wolff scrambling for an apt replacement, and got fans excited for arguably the biggest partnership in the sport’s history.

Hamilton’s final season with the team he helped win eight titles was closely documented by Netflix, and the anticipation surrounding his Ferrari transfer surely found its way in.

This has the potential to be not just the best story of season seven, but of all seasons combined. Hopefully, Netflix do it justice!

Hoping for a bounceback

Of course, there are other aspects of the 2024 season to cover — Sainz’s dilemma over his 2025 team, McLaren’s Papaya Rules team orders fiasco, and Haas’ resurgence could all feature in the show.

Fortunately for Netflix, 2024 provided plenty of genuine content after two relatively quiet years of F1, which led to a decline in Drive to Survive viewership.

Illman too, admitted to a drop in numbers. “Yes, we’re down about 5% [2024]…” 

However, the Aussie photographer went on to state how it was still doing better than some of Netflix’s other docu-series such as Full Swing, which focused on golf. They lost around 20%-50% of their viewers in just over a year.

So, F1 seems to be doing okay for the moment. But not good enough.

A lot of fans got into the sport because of DTS, and owners Liberty Media would not want the floodgates to close right now, especially with the 2026 regulation changes just a few months away.