Season 2 of Formula One: Drive to Survive to Premier in 2020

When Netflix series, Formula One: Drive to Survive debuted in early 2019, it was a massive hit among the fans. It encapsulated the drama and excitement of the sport and reignited many fans’ love for F1, and attracted people who had lost touch with the sport.

Now, the fans of the sport and the series will be ecstatic to learn that F1: Drive to Survive will get a second season. According to sources, the second season will cover the ongoing 2019 season and will air in 2020.

In the wake of the global success of Series 1, Formula 1 and Netflix have confirmed the news. The second season will follow all the teams and drivers at every round of the 2019 Formula One season. Another thing that has every F1 fan buzzing, is the fact that all ten teams will be featured. Last year, Ferrari and Mercedes declined to participate as they had other things to focus on, namely the 2018 championship. However, this time around, they have both relented.

As always, Drive to Survive will offer fans a fly on the wall view of the lives of the drivers, team principals and owners. This will allow them to gain a unique perspective on their lives both on and off the track. It will also guarantee plenty of tension and showcase the glamour of the sport as each team fights to win the championship.

“We are thrilled to once again be working with Netflix on the second series of Drive to Survive,” admitted Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights at Formula 1.

“It is a truly unique series which allows fans to see the unseen side of F1, showcasing the personalities and emotions each team and driver goes through, both on and off the grid.

“Drive to Survive has enabled us to reach an entire new fanbase globally and partnering with Netflix for a second season ensures we are continuing to put fans at the heart of what we do and make the sport more open and accessible to all.”

Formula One: Drive to Survive succeeds, as it not only caters to the long-time Formula One fans. It also acts as a beginner’s guide into the world of Formula One in order to entice new fans. Even in the absence of Formula One’s top two teams, the series itself was a rip-roaring success. Now that Mercedes and Ferrari have joined the bandwagon, the stakes have been raised even higher.

The Netflix series is also a win in itself as it has shown that the sport is embracing the future. Under the dictatorial regime of Bernie Ecclestone, entertaining the idea of the series would have been preposterous.

Ferrari’s decision not to take part, until limited access was granted after the Italian Grand Prix, was not unexpected – under former team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, the team had a bunker mentality. Mercedes’ decision was more surprising, given they are generally very good in terms of access to the media. Their argument was that they did not want to be distracted from competing for the world championship.

But when the series actually dropped, there were a few unexpected stars of the show. One of them was the mercurial and foul-mouthed Guenther Steiner, team boss of the Haas F1 team. Most of the time, his beef was with his driver, Romain Grosjean, who often got the wrong end of the stick.

Some gems were, “Just tell him to focus on driving and not fucking whinge. Fucking hell.”

Later at a team dinner, Steiner laughingly refers to an out-of-favour Grosjean’s absence. “Romain is not here,” he says. “Maybe he is not here because he doesn’t have any points. Or I didn’t invite him because he doesn’t deserve any food.”

Earlier in the season, after bungling their pit stops, Haas F1 were left relatively red-faced. On the phone to Gene Haas, Steiner confessed, “We could have looked like rock stars,” he says. “But now we look like a fucking bunch of wankers. A bunch of fucking clowns.”

Other captivating subjects included the Red Bull intra-team battle between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, the McLaren saga, Williams F1’s troubles and many more