The eighth season of Netflix's Formula 1 series Drive to Survive launched a week before the new F1 campaign, focusing on the 2025 season. Producers from Box to Box Films emphasize its role in attracting new fans despite criticism from diehard enthusiasts. They affirm no plans to end the popular show.
The eighth season of Drive to Survive, produced by Box to Box Films, premiered on Netflix a week before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign. This shortened eight-episode series follows the previous year's events and continues the show's mission to broaden the sport's appeal.
Season 7 drew over 10 million viewers, surpassing other sports documentaries. However, reviews for season 8 are mixed, with the series dividing dedicated F1 fans from newcomers the production aims to attract. Tom Rogers, Box to Box's director of post-production, acknowledged this divide: "You have to very early accept the fact you're not going to please everybody."
Rogers explained that the show targets those outside the core fanbase: "The reality is that the core die-hard fans, inevitably, will have some grievances with some stuff that's in there. But we're not really targeting the people that are already passionate about Formula 1. This was always the sort of access point for new fans. We want to turn casual fans into avid fans, and non-fans into casual fans. And I think we've achieved that."
Criticism includes editorial issues and dramatized contexts, but Rogers admitted imperfections: "Is the show perfect? No. Have we made mistakes in the past? Absolutely. There was one last year with Max [Verstappen]. We had the wrong shot from the wrong cool-down room. It was a genuine error. As soon as it was pointed out to us, we fixed it."
He stressed no intent to fabricate drama: "It becomes a big news story, but there's no conspiracy. We're not trying to sort of stitch people up. It is human error and we put more processes in place every year to try and mitigate that. We now have [markers] across all of our footage which says which grand prix it came from."
Looking ahead, Rogers highlighted growth potential, especially in North America, aided by projects like Apple's F1 movie. "We're not planning for an end," he said. "While it continues to make sense for Formula 1, for Netflix, for the teams; as I've said, the American market, I think we've scratched the surface. There's enormous growth potential there." Reaching season 8 is rare for Netflix series, underscoring the show's and sport's enduring popularity.
