Television
Big moments that weren’t included in Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ Season 5
The new season of ‘Drive to Survive’ has proven to be another hit, but that doesn’t mean the show covered all of the major talking points in 2022.
Season 5 of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ isn’t short on drama, with the hit show covering plenty of the big talking points from the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Whether it’s Ferrari’s up and down campaign, or Max Verstappen’s series debut, there is something for most F1 fans to get into while watching the 10 episodes.
However, there are some storylines the show opted to overlook. Here are some of the moments that probably should have been given more attention.
Sebastian Vettel’s retirement
Considering Sebastian Vettel won four F1 World Championships during his career, putting him level with the great Alain Prost, it’s safe to say the German will go down as one of the best to ever compete in the series.
The German announced he was retiring at the end of the 2022 season back in July, and yet there was no real big sendoff from the series.
There was even a small sendoff for Daniel Ricciardo, but none for Vettel, who was barely in the season at all. Safe to say many fans would have appreciated a proper goodbye for the F1 great.
Mercedes’ brightest moment
Mercedes did not have the 2022 season they would have hoped for, or even expected. The team were on the back foot all season as they struggled to come to grips with the tricky W13 and the overhauled technical regulations.
This was regularly brought up throughout the fifth season of ‘Drive to Survive’, making it even more perplexing that Mercedes’ only win of the season wasn’t mentioned.
That came at the Brazilian Grand Prix, when George Russell claimed his first career F1 win ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two. It was also the first time since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix that two British drivers topped the podium.
Considering the magnitude of the achievement, it’s unclear why producers opted to skip over the moment.
Haas’ pole position
Red Bull, and to a lesser extent, Ferrari were the dominant teams in 2022 as they took home most of the wins and pole positions.
One pole both teams failed to capture came in Brazil when Kevin Magnussen, in the Haas, defied the odds to take the team’s first-ever F1 pole position for the sprint race.
It was a huge achievement for the team that entered the series in 2016, and it came in dramatic fashion in changing weather conditions. Add in some poor strategy decisions from Ferrari, a red flag, and some more wet weather, and the all the stars lined up for Haas in what was a fantastic moment.
However, the stunning achievement was only mentioned in the form of a highlight reel.