To quote the late Murray Walker who passed away last weekend, “It’s go! Go! Go!” Yes, another F1 season is around the corner. Testing began just the other week, which means only one thing. Netflix has a good docu-series on F1 out once again. I only got into the Drive to Survive series during the long hiatus as we waited last year for the actual season to kick off, and not just one of those virtual races that were looked down upon by some.

For all it is worth, I honestly think this is the season that has topped it. Some drivers jumped ship and some were shoved before the season got underway. Then there was “the pink Mercedes” controversy, ‘Checo’ was shoved out entirely until New Years, there was Hulkenberg’s dramatic returns for both Racing Point drivers and Pierre’s win after being demoted. We can’t forget George Russell jumping teams for one race as 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton caught COVID-19, Lewis getting that 7th championship and talking his social causes… oh, and Grosjean’s crash from hell. Ya’ know, a normal season in Formula 1.

If there is one thing I could say as a negative, there are too few episodes to cover what was by far the best season of Formula 1 I’ve seen in a long time. Particularly notable was the lack (more or less) of coverage for the Williams family exit and Hulkenberg’s dramatic parachute drops into each of those Racing Point seats. If I am honest, I didn’t think there was much on Grosjean’s crash that hasn’t already been covered a thousand times. Not that the latter is missing, but there was a split focus in what was a chaotic two weeks, smashed into one episode.

Does that detract from Drive to Survive season 3? No! What I am saying is, we need more episodes for such a turbulent season of Formula 1, filled with not only on-track politics between a few teams, but all the interesting off-track politics too. If you watched the races, qualifying, and a few practice sessions, you’d be mistaken for thinking the “pink Mercedes” lark was a far bigger deal in the paddock than I’d say some episodes made it out to be. Yet, it climaxed with a bit of swearing over at Renault.

For the benefit of those that haven’t seen a season of Drive to Survive and for my editor who doesn’t like F1 (after how much I talk about it): It is a far more unfiltered version of the top echelon of motorsport. Be it Lewis’ candid nature in those Mercedes episodes, Guenther Steiner being Guenther, or first-time winners winning at the “temple of speed.” There is just that lack of the sanitized nature you’ll find F1 in the normal broadcast, but that’s understandable. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to hear raw honesty.

The two episodes that really hit you, or at least felt like a punch in the gut to me, were the Grosjean crash/’Checo’ win episode and the Pierre Win a year after being dropped. The former is something I think Carlos Sainz Jr.’s manager/cousin best explained, “how the f**k did he come out of that?” In a situation that moments before the crash, when watching live, I was happy to see everyone come out of turn 3 in that bundle. With that crash putting a full stop to any of that, that joy immediately dropped to concern. A feeling only echoed by the episodes’ (at times) dramatized look upon the horror film playing out.

It was surreal, watching as Romain climbs out of that monocoque embedded in the warped metal barrier, surrounded by flame and fire extinguisher fumes. It is unbelievable how he is still alive, never mind that he’s jumped from that into IndyCar racing less than 4 months later for testing. As he says in the series, his body was “3.9 tonnes” on impact, with a peak force of 67g into the metal barrier. To hear Romain explain, not only did the 28 or-so seconds feel more like over a minute, the fact that he was accepting death until his kids “came into the car” feels not only like several punches to the gut; but several kicks to the heart as well.

That alone would make you feel something, but the penultimate episode of the series caps itself off with Sergio (‘Checo’) finally getting that win as he’s being pushed out the door. As I’ve said privately several times, it would be a crime to let him go without a drive for 2021. By Christ, does the series play that up well. It gives you every bit of Sergio’s storybook fairytale charm while letting you sit in that emotion of “don’t let it happen, don’t leave him without a seat.” Ultimately, of course, it comes down to the climactic crescendo of getting the coveted Red Bull seat for 2021.

Not that Pierre’s episode doesn’t feel as much of a gut punch, as he talks about the death of his friend a year before. It is when he talks about the text he got days before Anthoine’s crash coinciding with Pierre’s demotion, “Prove everybody wrong and show them your skills and talent,” that you feel another several kicks in the heart. You’d have to be a monster to think any of these moments weren’t punching you in the gut, even before the added dramatization. Seeing Pierre walk up Raidillon with flowers to lay at the crash site, only for a week later to win Monza in Red Bull’s (little) sister team; It wraps up an extremely crappy year for a guy dealt an awful hand.

That said, one of the two major stories running throughout the season is that of the man who replaced him. It is hard to say you don’t feel for Alex Albon, Red Bull’s car just wasn’t working for him 9.5 times out of 10. As much as I love that ‘Checo’ gets that seat for ’21 and that in testing he was planted in his day and a half in the car, it is still hard to see someone with potential get chewed up by Red Bull’s driver program.

Taking a moment away from all the drama, it is still one of the most beautifully shot series. Not just in regard to the cars, but often some of the rather ‘candid’ moments as it were, mixed with several TV shots and extras we never seem to see. Of course, you could argue from a pedantic editor’s standpoint, some things are edited for that added drama, edited out of sequence, or other little bits. Though aside from that everything adds to the energy, the pulsating roar of engines fed through chopped-up lines of commentary. All together it provides a sometimes emotional, sometimes silly, sometimes conspiracy fueling feeling. It is always easy to watch.

What do I mean by conspiracy? Well, that Mercedes episode is a wink, a peck on the cheek, and a whisper in the ear to everyone who wants to play into nothing more than drama. Simply from editing hanging on a few seconds to Valtteri’s words about the tow in Suchi, something that is easily explained by Valtteri himself as “third is better than second.” Anyone that has raced that track before knows going into turn 1 in second place from the line isn’t the best option, as you are on the inside by the wall. You want to be on the outside, on the racing line, where third place sits. That position sets you up to overtake into turn 2 once you are in second and side-by-side with the leader.

All this said; The entire series of Drive to Survive is the only thing that really humanizes Lewis Hamilton. The usual sanitized TV and clipped press interviews make him somewhat other-than. He often seems like someone inapproachable. What helps is the rather open nature of which he speaks about everything, including the racism he’s faced in his career and the social issues he’s stood up for this past year. That is, alongside the simple mistakes that he’s made, fessing up to those, and the stubbornness of his Sochi incident. That shows him more as a human with flaws, rather than the superhuman thing projected on to him by others.

As a whole, the third season is the one I want more of, simply because I know how good it is and how much more was in the 2020 Championship that would make fantastic episodes. The Williams family exit is glanced at once or twice with Claire Williams saying goodbyes and joking with Guenther. However, we never get what you’d expect with the full episode showing the final steps away. We don’t get one of the best stories of the season, as George Russell battled for points in the Williams as he got fingertips on there. Only for him to be put in Lewis Hamilton’s dominant Mercedes at the penultimate race, and get screwed by the team’s biggest failure of their drivers in such a long time.

The annoying thing about it all is I know why some of it didn’t come through. The filming crews had to be embedded within teams during race weekends, instead of the pre-pandemic allowances that gave the crew open season to film with any team at any time. Not only this, but it was such a packed season full of little stories here and there. It is not a bad criticism of any kind to say, “I want more.” I’d have taken a Lewis Hamilton-exclusive episode through his race weekend in Turkey if I could, on top of everything else.

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Formula 1: Drive To Survive Season 3

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• The honest and candid nature the series is known for.
• Beautifully shot.
• Heart-wrenching when it needs/wants to be.

Cons

• There is just so much more that could have been covered.
• A bit overdramatized in places.