(Motorsport-Total.com) – This Friday, the Netflix documentary “Drive to Survive” returns with its eighth season, which this time comprises eight episodes. These are the most important impressions from the review of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
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Season 8 won’t change anyone’s mind
For years, “Drive to Survive” has been considered a decisive factor in Formula 1’s surge in mainstream popularity. The production company Box to Box remains true to its proven recipe, which has made the series Netflix’s most successful sports documentary.
Each episode focuses on a central story and links the events of the 2025 season with new, previously unreleased material, interviews with drivers and team principals, and commentary from well-known voices like Will Buxton and Claire Williams.
The series is aimed more at new fans than Formula 1 purists, and Season 8 is no exception. So if you didn’t like the previous seasons, that’s unlikely to change this time.
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However, those who don’t have a problem with the sometimes exaggerated narrative tone will still find exciting behind-the-scenes material and moments that even die-hard fans might have missed. Netflix also seems to be taking better care to keep scenes and quotes in context. Inconsistencies have become rarer compared to previous seasons.
Netflix misses Christian Horner already
One thing quickly becomes clear: the success of “Drive to Survive” has been fueled primarily by rivalries, power plays, and intrigue – almost like “Game of Thrones” or “House of Cards”. Season 8 clearly shows how much the concept thrives on these conflicts.
The now-dismissed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says self-deprecatingly, after boos at the joint “F175” launch event, that history needs its villain. Following Horner’s exit mid-season, the series – and Formula 1 itself – is missing a key figure in terms of the stories to be told.
Although Horner regretted not being able to say a proper goodbye, the producers prepared a fitting exit for him. They visited him on his ranch and quickly turned a stable into an improvised interview studio.
Filmed shortly after his dismissal following the British Grand Prix, the emotion and bitterness still seem fresh. Horner speaks openly about what he believes really happened.
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“[Max Verstappen’s] father was never my biggest fan. He often spoke out against me. But I don’t think the Verstappens had anything to do with it. This decision came from Oliver Mintzlaff, with Helmut Marko as an advisor in the background,” said Horner.
Furthermore, Horner believes it was Marko’s decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda again after just two races – which fits Horner, knowing how little trust he had in the Japanese driver.
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After the Red Bull-centric fourth episode, the season flattens out noticeably. And since the other heavyweights like Toto Wolff, Zak Brown, and Frederic Vasseur are acting extremely friendly, Netflix is likely hoping that Horner will soon reappear somewhere in the Formula 1 circus.
McLaren’s too-clean title fight leaves much to be desired
The other big headline of the 2025 season was, of course, McLaren’s internal title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – which Max Verstappen later joined after McLaren produced one mishap after another.
Three of the eight episodes revolve mainly around this duel, yet many key moments remain unmentioned. Part 1 covers Piastri’s early form, Norris’s struggles, and his home win at Silverstone.
It’s only in the final episodes that the focus returns to McLaren, highlighting the mistakes in Las Vegas and Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi. But what about Monza and the position swap that so annoyed Piastri, or Baku, Singapore, or Austin?
None of these key moments are even mentioned. Whether this was a conscious decision by the team, the producers, or simply a lack of footage remains unclear.
What is certain, however, is that McLaren’s portrayal seems too polished. Instead, you get scenes of team principal Zak Brown, who is now a main character, chatting with celebrities at a luxurious dinner in Las Vegas.
“Drive to Survive” still serves its purpose
The eighth season this time comprises eight instead of ten episodes, each lasting around 36 to 51 minutes. A conscious decision in favor of quality over quantity. Nevertheless, the overall package feels a bit thin.
The first episode meanders slowly (unless you count Gabriel Bortoleto farting into a microphone behind the scenes), and an entire episode about Carlos Sainz’s acclimatization at Williams feels a bit excessive.
Despite the criticism, Drive to Survive continues to serve its main purpose: introducing new viewers to the uncompromising world of Formula 1. Alongside the brutal treatment of Lawson and Horner, an old acquaintance also appears: Flavio Briatore, who dismisses Jack Doohan to promote Franco Colapinto, only to berate the latter in Italian shortly after for poor performance.
For hardcore fans, however, the series has a harder time. Its greatest appeal lies in showing something new. But when some of the most defining personalities are missing, it risks either becoming boring or facing accusations of creating artificial drama. A no-win situation.
Drive to Survive – Season 8 will be released on Friday, February 27, on Netflix.
The complete episode list for the eighth season:
Episode 1 – New Kids on the Track
Episode 2 – Strictly Business
Episode 3 – The Number 1 Problem
Episode 4 – A Bull with No Horns
Episode 5 – The Sky’s the Limit
Episode 6 – The Duel
Episode 7 – What Happens in Vegas
Episode 8 – Call Me Chucky
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