Missed by Netflix: Stories that didn’t make it into Drive to Survive Season 7

Adrian Newey leaving Purple Bull

One of many greatest information tales of the 2024 season concerned longtime Purple Bull design guru, Adrian Newey, defecting to Aston Martin. His shock departure despatched shock waves by way of the paddock, particularly contemplating it got here shortly after Christian Horner’s highly-publicised scandal, and questions over whether or not he would stay on the group.

Newey was instrumental within the success of Purple Bull, significantly throughout the group’s current interval of dominance with Max Verstappen. There are nonetheless a number of query marks lingering as to why he left the Milton Keynes-based outfit, and what enticed him to affix Lawrence Stroll. After all, there’s the hefty compensation package deal (price about $30m per 12 months), however followers are nonetheless questioning whether or not Aston Martin have what it takes to compete on the high finish of the grid. Maybe it’s a storyline for season eight.

George Russell’s disqualification at Spa

A complete episode of the present’s focuses on George Russell’s future at Mercedes because the chief of the group. The throughline of the episode involves a crescendo when he pulls off an audacious one-stop technique in Spa-Francorchamps, which is framed because the efficiency that satisfied Toto Wolff he’s as much as the duty of changing Lewis Hamilton (an unenviable job, that’s for certain).

Nonetheless, Russell was disqualified shortly after the race when stewards declared his automobile 1.5kg underweight. The Briton was the primary race winner to be disqualified from a grand prix since Michael Schumacher’s 1994 victory on the similar circuit and though the disappointing consequence wasn’t on account of his efficiency, it was a stunning exclusion given the win was in the end awarded to Russell’s team-mate, Hamilton.

Doohan and Schumacher shootout check

Final 12 months’s driver market carousel may have simply been the idea for a whole sequence in its personal proper, however Netflix selected to focus its central storyline on Carlos Sainz. And understandably so: a driver who loses his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton and spends six months selecting a brand new group makes for a compelling narrative. Nevertheless it looks like they might have squeezed somewhat extra out of all of the chaos.

When Sainz lastly knocked on the door that Netflix’s storyline positioned James Vowles behind, Alpine did not instantly decide to signing Jack Doohan. As a substitute, they put him up towards Mick Schumacher in a check. As a lot because the group formally denied it was a shootout, in actuality it was. Nonetheless, little or no made its manner into the press about the way it really performed out, as no media have been current on the check.

However Netflix was. And what an episode it may have been: for Schumacher – who was named after Jack’s father, legendary rider Mick Doohan – it was doubtlessly his final likelihood to return to F1. Nevertheless it appears as if his childhood pal had the higher hand. The paddock was stuffed with rumours in regards to the final result of the check, and the truth that Alpine in the end selected the Australian speaks for itself. However we by no means acquired to see the way it all occurred – all as a result of the Netflix producers determined it wasn’t thrilling sufficient to make the minimize.

Jack Doohan, Alpine F1 Staff

Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Pictures

Ollie Bearman’s debut

One of the stunning omissions from the seventh season of Drive to Survive was Ollie Bearman’s points-scoring debut for Ferrari. At simply 18 years previous, the Brit jumped into Carlos Sainz’s automobile at probably the most notoriously robust tracks on the calendar in Jeddah. He obtained a name on the eleventh hour throughout the second race weekend of the season, and was solely 0.036s from knocking Lewis Hamilton out of qualifying.

Staff principal Fred Vasseur revealed that Bearman was nonetheless studying the steering wheel features the night time earlier than the race, and he went on to complete a exceptional seventh. Nonetheless, Drive to Survive doesn’t even point out the career-making efficiency that secured Bearman’s seat on the 2025 grid.

Fairly, he’s solely talked about in an episode centered on the midfield battle between Haas and Alpine. When Bearman stepped in for Kevin Magnussen in Brazil final season, his efficiency within the moist situations have been a far cry from his stellar drive within the Center East earlier within the 12 months. He’s even seen getting a telling-off from his future boss, Haas group principal, Ayao Komatsu.

How shut have been Bottas and Vowles to a reunion?

One other driver whose battle to remain in F1 may have made for a terrific storyline is Valtteri Bottas. The ten-time grand prix winner in the end misplaced that battle, however he knocked on lots of doorways. It’s understood that he even signed a contract with Sauber to remain for at the very least yet another season, however he by no means acquired to see that piece of paper signed by the group administration – and that in all probability says loads about how ruthless this world might be.

Valtteri Bottas

Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Pictures

Earlier in 2024, he reportedly got here very near signing with Williams earlier than James Vowles realised that Carlos Sainz may really turn into accessible – regardless of Mercedes and Purple Bull nonetheless having open seats. And there was at the very least one massive cause why Bottas’ return to Williams would have been gold for F1: think about the social media buzz over one other spherical of “Valtteri, it is James”…

At one level, Bottas was really going through questions from the media about what this reunion may imply for him – so certain have been those who it was taking place. And judging by his solutions, he was certainly near sealing the deal. A driver with expertise and pace going through the tough actuality of being left with nothing appeared like an ideal match for the title Netflix selected for its sequence. However…

Audi administration reshuffle

Maybe Audi’s thorny street to F1 will ultimately make it right into a Drive to Survive episode (although it is uncertain the German producer’s advertising division could be too eager). However 2024 has already supplied loads of materials for an intriguing plot.

On-track struggles, pitstop tools points, drivers’ errors – all unfolding towards the backdrop of an inside energy wrestle between Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann over who would steer the ship. Ultimately, each have been ousted, paving the way in which for Mattia Binotto’s return to the paddock. The very picture of the Italian packing his luggage and leaving his winery villa behind to rejoin the Piranha Membership felt like a second worthy of inclusion.

Audi CEO Gernot Dollner and Mattia Binotto, CEO and CTO, Stake F1 Staff KICK Sauber

Picture by: Motorsport Pictures

But none of this made it into the seventh season of Drive to Survive. Maybe the producers are saving it for subsequent time?

No goodbyes for Sargeant, Magnussen, and others

In earlier seasons, Drive to Survive typically leaned on tales of drivers crumbling beneath the stress, desperately making an attempt – however in the end failing – to show their price. However this time round, there could have been too lots of them for the producers to trouble with.

Logan Sargeant typically seemed like probably the most dejected man on this planet in 2024. The story of his automobile being given to Alex Albon in Australia alone may have been an episode in itself. Even James Vowles admitted that it will be tough for the American to regain his confidence after such a blow. A few of Sargeant’s media periods become near-interrogations, and at occasions he appeared to be barely holding himself collectively. Nonetheless, the ultimate minimize of the sequence solely included his quite a few crashes – providing no sentimentality a couple of dream slipping away.

Kevin Magnussen fought simply as onerous – at occasions, maybe too onerous – to show his price to Haas. However ultimately, he too needed to settle for that his time in F1 was up. And Zhou Guanyu? Caught in an uncompetitive automobile, all however ignored by the group administration preoccupied with inside squabbles, and left with nearly no choices elsewhere…

Franco who?

An informal F1 fan who solely tunes into Drive to Survive yearly could be forgiven for not realizing the title Franco Colapinto. The 21-year-old Argentinian, who turned the speak of the paddock when he changed Logan Sargeant at Williams in the midst of 2024, didn’t get any display time on Netflix.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Picture by: Williams

The pandemonium surrounding the rookie felt unattainable to disregard final season, which could make this probably the most evident omission on the listing. Maybe producers opted to not point out the South American star as a result of he didn’t safe a seat for 2025, nonetheless dialog about his future at Alpine (he’s presently the group’s reserve driver) stays rampant on-line and within the media. It’s clear that the fandom surrounding Colapinto isn’t dying down, and may he find yourself in a seat mid-season, viewers will seemingly be taught extra about him within the present’s eighth instalment.

And the place is Lewis Hamilton?

Hamilton has by no means been the star of Drive to Survive. In actual fact, the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Guenther Steiner turned the sequence’ breakout stars as a result of Mercedes and Ferrari have been reluctant to look within the first season. Nonetheless, Hamilton’s presence – or lack thereof – was significantly noticeable this time round.

The present makes a degree to deal with his shock transfer to Ferrari on the high of episode one, however there’s little point out of him once more. Not even his victory at Silverstone – which broke a 31-month winless streak for the seven time world champion – will get a lot airtime.

Lewis Hamilton gained for the primary time in three years in F1

Picture by: Erik Junius