Max Verstappen Winning the F1 Championship – Picture: Getty Images
F1: Drive to Survive has quickly grown into one of Netflix’s biggest docuseries covering the prior year’s Formula 1 season. With the Formula 1 championship now over we’ll soon be catching up with all of the action (and possibly even some missed drama on and off the track) with season 4 of F1: Drive to Survive in early March 2022.
For those unaware, the docu-series F1: Drive to Survive takes a look back at the previous year’s F1 season, often a few weeks before the new season begins, providing fans a way of getting up to speed or relive the events to get amped up for the new season.
Through exclusive interviews, the series covers the F1 season in a unique way, looking at the biggest news and stories in F1 for that year.
F1: Drive to Survive Season 4 Teaser – Picture: Box to Box Films / Netflix
It’s grown massively in popularity and has even been attributed to growing viewing figures of the sport, particularly in the United States.
According to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, in a report in late September 2021, more than 50 million people have checked out the series on Netflix.
InsiderSport notes that the 16-35-year-old bracket has seen 77% growth over the course of the past year.
Online sales for F1 merchandise have grown substantially too with sales up 200% since 2017.
Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, has been on the record saying that going into the future, Netflix may consider picking up the Formula 1 rights. ESPN’s contract in showing the sport lapses by the end of 2022’s season.
Has F1: Drive to Survive been confirmed for season 4?
So, onto season 4; Netflix and Formula 1 didn’t confirm the fourth season until August 26th.
Julianne Cerasoli on Twitter, who is a Brazillian sports journalist, first reported that the “Netflix film crew” was beginning a new season by tailing Red Bull’s new signing for 2021, Sergio Perez. In a Tweet, she said:
“A little behind the scenes: Perez is giving an interview via Zoom and, behold, two professionals who work on the filming of Netflix are behind him … it seems that they are already starting the fourth season even before the third premieres!”
On August 27th, it was official, F1: Drive to Survive will indeed be back for season 4. In a post via Instagram, the Box to Box Films team said:
“We are delighted to formally announce that Season 4 of Drive To Survive will hit the screens in 2022.
Huge appreciation and thanks as ever to our production crew on the ground, and behind the scenes, along with all the teams & drivers”
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1430818705164877824
Speaking on the podcast “In The Fast Lane,” James Gay-Rees spoke about the fourth and potentially fifth season, saying:
“Then the next season [2022 season] will be difficult again, because the new rules will come in and it’s going to be a slightly different scenario – new cars, so it’s going to be pretty punchy, we’d love to keep on going with it.”
What to expect from F1: Drive to Survive season 4
It’s hard to tell what narrative angles the team is going to take.
Broadly, the 2021 F1 championship has seen major battles at the front and back of the field. At the front, Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing has taken the fight to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. In the mid-field, it’s a big battle between Ferrari and McLaren.
There’s also been a lot of driver movements both for the 2021 and the upcoming 2022 season that will no doubt get coverage throughout.
Also, thanks to eagle-eyed fans and social media, we’ve got a few hints as to who the Drive to Survive has been following this year, including:
- Netflix filmed at Esteban Ocon’s house after his victory in Hungary.
- Filmed with Red Bull Racing at Monaco.
- Filmed with Daniel Ricardo and McLaren at Monza.
- Filmed in Russia during Mazepin’s training routine.
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- Mazepin Filming Netflix Scaled
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- Svandoorne Filming Drive To Survive Scaled
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- Estaban Ocon Filming Netflix Scaled
When will F1: Drive to Survive season 4 release onto Netflix?
As per previous seasons, we’re expecting that the series will launch a week or two before the new season starts.
According to reports, the 2022 season will begin in Bahrain on March 20th. So, let’s take a look at previous release dates, which could give us an indication.
| Season Number | Drive to Survive Release Date | F1 Season Starts | Days Between |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 4 | ??? | March 20th, 2022 | ??? |
| Season 3 | March 19th, 2021 | March 28th, 2021 | 9 |
| Season 2 | February 28th, 2020 | March 15th, 2020 | 16 |
| Season 1 | March 8th, 2019 | March 17th, 2019 | 9 |
If the series sticks to its 9-day window, we should see season 4 of F1: Drive to Survive on Netflix on March 11th, 2022. If we get it sooner (like season 2), it could come on March 4th or February 25th (every season is released on a Friday).
F1 journalist Luis Manuel López confirms that we should see the new season added between March 9th and 11th, 2022.
Quedó confirmada la temporada 4 de la serie Drive to Survive, su fecha de lanzamiento está entre el 9 y el 11 de marzo. #FelizMiercoles pic.twitter.com/WWDZA4Asb6
— Luis Manuel López (@chacho_lml) February 3, 2022
On February 16th, we got confirmation that season 4 of F1: Drive to Survive will arrive on Netflix on March 11th, 2022.
Beyond F1: Drive to Survive, The British-based Box to Box Productions will also be busy with other projects for other streamers this year with them set to be filming a docu-series for Apple TV+ based on the world surf league. They’re also going to be producing similar documentaries for Netflix for both Golf and Tennis in 2022.
Bubbling away in the background, too, is the prospect that Netflix may eventually bid for the F1 TV rights, which come up for renewal in many regions in the near future. Reed Hastings has gone on the record saying that they would consider it.
Are you excited at the prospect of a fourth season of F1: Drive to Survive? Let us know in the comments.
Note: This article was first published on February 26th, 2021 and has been updated over time to reflect new information. It was last updated on February 16th, 2022.
Netflix Synopsis: "Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane -- both on and off the track -- during each cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing."
