F1 is one of the most popular and followed sports in the world. It was always a big thing in certain countries, but in the past, the sport failed to establish itself in places like America. However, with Netflix’s Drive to Survive (DTS), F1 is now extremely popular in the US.
Drive to Survive’s first season aired in 2019 and has been renewed for four more seasons. The fifth season of DTS is just around the corner, and F1 fans all over the world are excited. The 2022 F1 season was not as exciting on the track as 2021 but it was full of off-track drama.
F1 fans are already familiar with what to expect from season five of DTS, but for those who didn’t follow F1 last year, it is going to be even more interesting. For someone who desires to follow F1 religiously, and doesn’t know where to start, Drive to Survive is the perfect place.
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What is Drive to Survive?
A typical season of Drive to Survive features 10 episodes, with each episode covering a particular driver or team’s story that year. In certain cases, notable & infamous incidents are also featured in an episode.
DTS also follows the lives of the drivers and team principals on and off the track throughout the course of an F1 season. There are many drivers and team bosses who were popular before, but the show skyrocketed fan interest in them.
The likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Haas’ team principal Guenther Steiner are two prime examples of this. DTS has also made several rivalries in the sport popular, most notably the one between Red Bull and Mercedes team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff.
When does season five of DTS release?
Drive to Survive usually hits the screens about a week before the F1 season begins and Netflix has continued the tradition this year. Season five of DTS will release on Netflix on 24th February 2022, a week before the season begins.
Formula 1: Drive To Survive returns February 24 — and here’s your first look at Season 5! pic.twitter.com/17R4SAGck6
— Netflix (@netflix) January 12, 2023
The show is set to come out when the official F1 pre-season test is still going on. Pre-season testing begins on 23rd February and ends on 25th February so it is safe to say that the entirety of the week will be extremely exciting for F1 fans.
Why should new fans watch DTS before actual F1?
Some of the older fans of Formula 1 have criticized Drive to Survive because of the fake drama added by them on several occasions. These fans feel that the only way to actually fall in love with the sport is by actually watching the races.
On the other hand, the fact that since DTS’s release, F1 has grown so much is a testament to the fact that the newer fans are interested in what they are seeing. The show is very good for new viewers who don’t know how F1 exactly works. The first few seasons of DTS clearly explain how an entire Grand Prix weekend works, and the producers also bring in experts who talk about the technical aspect of things.
Netflix just released the trailer for Season 5 of ‘F1: Drive to Survive.’
It premieres February 24th.
pic.twitter.com/8tLc2Y8mUm— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 16, 2023
On top of this, showing the lives of F1 drivers off the track always intrigues people who don’t know much about them. Hence, if there is someone who hasn’t followed the sport before and wishes to start ahead of the 2023 season, DTS season five is a good place to start.
What will Drive to Survive season five cover?
On the track, there wasn’t much drama in 2022 with Max Verstappen coasting towards his second consecutive world championship win. Off it, however, there are many things that DTS will feature.
Red Bull breaching the cost cap, Ferrari’s strategy goof-ups, Daniel Ricciardo’s untimely McLaren exit and Sebastian Vettel’s retirement are just few of the things that has F1 fans all over excited.