Netflix Drive to Survive Season 5: Release date, how to watch and more

What is Drive to Survive?

Drive to Survive is a Netflix docu series produced by Box to Box Films, giving fans unprecedented access into the colourful world of Formula 1. Each race weekend the series' crew follows a different team, zooming in on the season's biggest talking points and controversies while also showing a more human side of the 20 drivers, 10 team bosses and other key personnel.

After the first season, which covered the 2018 season, Drive to Survive became an instant hit and has been credited for drawing a lot of new fans to F1.

When is Drive to Survive Season 5 released?

Traditionally, the latest season of Drive to Survive is released during pre-season testing and season five won't be any different. The new season covering the 2022 Formula 1 world championship will be released on Netflix on Friday, 24 February. That release coincides with the second day of Bahrain's three-day 2023 pre-season test, one full week ahead of the season opener at the same venue.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team in the Press Conference through a camera

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images

Which drivers are in it this year?

While Mercedes and Ferrari were initially hesitant to take part in the documentary when it first arrived onto the scene, all teams and drivers are now cooperating with the show, providing exclusive interviews about their seasons.

Until this year, world champion Max Verstappen refused to take part because he disagreed with the creative methods the directors took with some of F1's storylines. But after talks between the Red Bull driver and Netflix, the Dutchman will now take part, acknowledging the show's importance in growing F1.

How many episodes will it have?

As has been the case in previous seasons, season five will consist of 10 new episodes with the following names and subjects.

1. New Dawn: The series kicks off at the start at the Bahrain Grand Prix and focuses on the Ferrari team, which is off to a strong start and looks like an early frontrunner.

2. Bounce Back: On the other side of the spectrum, Mercedes is suffering through a nightmare start with its W13, much to the dismay of team boss Toto Wolff.

3. Like Father, Like Son: Mick Schumacher lost his Haas seat for 2023 after an up-and-down 2022 season, and the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has received his own episode to document it.

4. Matter of Principal: Ferrari's season begins to unravel after numerous reliability issues and strategical mistakes, with tempers flaring between Charles Leclerc and Mattia Binotto.

5. Hot Seat: This episode centres on Sergio Perez's life as Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate, in the lead up to the Mexican's memorable Monaco Grand Prix win.

6. Pardon My French: Alpine gets its own episode set during an eventful summer, in which Fernando Alonso considers his options for the future and ultimately signs a deal with Aston Martin for 2023.

7. Nice Guys Finish Last: Daniel Ricciardo's struggles at McLaren proved one of the main talking points of the year and the popular Australian naturally features in an episode.

8. Alpha Male: Episode eight focuses on the budding friendship between AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda.

9. Over the Limit: Political battles in F1 are never far away and matters came to a head in the closing stages of 2022 when Red Bull appeared to have broken the previous year's budget cap.

10. End of the Road: The final episode centres on the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With Verstappen's second world title long wrapped up, the focus is on some of the drivers that are leaving F1, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in particular.

How can I watch it?

The only way to watch the new season of Drive to Survive is via Netflix, which starts from £4.99/€5.49/$6.99 per month. That allows viewers to stream Drive to Survive and thousands of other TV shows and films via their computers, tablets, phones and consoles.