Formula 1 is going to be back on our screens next week with three days of preseason testing prior to the first race of the 2024 season at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 2. That also means that Netflix's acclaimed documentary series Drive to Survive is back for a sixth season — giving the in-depth lowdown we've become accustomed to seeing in its overview of the 2023 campaign.
While Red Bull and Max Verstappen led the way by some distance in 2023, the high-octane nature of F1 still threw up plenty of storylines — Verstappen's insurmountable lead saw him win the Drivers' Championship with five races to spare, and when the chequered flag was waved in Abu Dhabi, the 26-year-old Dutchman secured a record-breaking 19th race victory out of 22.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won the other two and one races apiece, trailing the former by some distance, and we can expect season six of Drive to Survive to delve deep into the relationship between Verstappen and Perez, as well as the thoughts of Sainz's fellow drivers in their bid to keep pace with the dominant Austrian team.
When is F1: Drive to Survive season 6 released?
Netflix will release the sixth season of Drive to Survive on Friday, February 23 — just eight days before the first race of the 2024 season on March 2 in Bahrain, and on the final day of three preseason testings sessions at the same track.
Expected to include 10 episodes similar to the last few seasons of the groundbreaking docu-series, season six will likely be documenting action both on and off the circuit from all of last year's 22 races, with the dominance of Red Bull sure to be one of the major plot lines behind the series as a whole.
F1: Drive to Survive season 6 trailer
Since first airing in 2019, Formula One's popularity — particularly in the US — has been on the up thanks to the widespread impact of Drive to Survive — the newfound access to drivers, crews and organisers has given the sport a new dimension for casual viewers and new fans.
The trailer for season six, shown below, suggests we're in for 10 episodes getting to grips with just what makes these supreme athletes tick — both when behind the wheel and away from the track altogether. We saw in mid-season when Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nick de Vries for AlphaTauri — only to be replaced himself by Liam Lawson temporarily — that no-one's position is ever a safe bet.
The drama returns. Here's your first look at F1: Drive to Survive Season 6. Coming February 23. pic.twitter.com/xeb7Zt6zZy
— Netflix (@netflix) February 12, 2024
What is F1 Drive to Survive season 6 about?
Interestingly, the trailer itself doesn't provide us with any visuals of Max Verstappen — although the Dutchman does provide audio for the introduction, describing the laser-focus needed to excel in this sport. "You need to be able to switch off from everything else around you", says Verstappen — that's easier said than done when miles clear in the title race!
Regardless, this focus on the mental side of motorsport will undoubtedly provide a significant insight into the life of Formula 1 drivers at both the top and bottom of the rankings — with the quest to catch Verstappen undoubtedly playing a crucial part in the psyche.
The 22 drivers who took part in races during the 2023 season are forced to push themselves to the absolute limit to secure one of just two places on the 10 teams, throwing g-force akin to that of jet-fighter pilots at their bodies and driving some of the fastest vehicles on the planet. We're set to see this first hand in season 6 of Drive to Survive, and, frankly, we cannot wait until premiere day on February 23!
How to watch F1: Drive to Survive season 6 on Netflix
Like many of Netflix's sporting productions, such as rugby's Six Nations: Full Contact and tennis' Break Point, season six of Drive to Survive will be available to watch with a standard membership, and further advertisements for the series will be published closer to the release date.
The standard package for Netflix is currently £10.99 per month, allowing two separate devices to utilise the same account to watch different things concurrently. In the USA its standard package is available at $15.49 per month.
You can sign up here, with Drive to Survive included in standard memberships across the US, Canada, UK, Australia and India. This can be cancelled at any time, although many regions have exclusive Netflix coverage only available to watch in those certain countries.
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