Max Verstappen has backtracked on firm comments he made last year about refusing to participate in Netflix’s showpiece F1 documentary, Drive to Survive. Having taken a break from being interviewed as part of the show, the Dutchman’s return for season five has been confirmed after featuring in the trailer, which was released on Thursday.
Red Bull star and reigning double world champion Verstappen has previously lashed out at the producers of Drive to Survive for sensationalizing storylines that, he feels, make more out of issues than there is in reality.
As the sport’s top driver over the past two years, the 25-year-old’s participation is particularly important, with his aggressive driving style and competitive streak often putting him at the center of the drama on and off track.
Verstappen took particular issue with the portrayed of an interaction between McLaren ace Lando Norris and his former team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, in an older series by claiming that the former was made out to look like a ‘d***’.
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“[The documentary] is just not my thing,” he told reporters last year. “They try to pick moments throughout the season and fabricate it in a way. For me personally, what I didn’t like, and it isn’t even about me, it’s about Lando and Daniel.
“They are two great guys and are really nice, first of all, and it made it look like Lando was a bit of ad***, which he isn’t at all. Again, I know Lando and I think many people know Lando. He’s a funny guy, a great guy, he has a great character and when you look at that episode you think ‘who is this guy? What is going on?’
“I think when you are new to the sport and you’ve never seen a Formula One car in general, they do not like him and why should that be, because he is a great guy. You just immediately get a wrong picture of a person and that’s exactly what I think about me in the beginning.
“I’m someone who when you ruin it from the start, you don’t fix it. That’s it, you’ve ruined it. So that’s my stance and that’s how I’ll go forward.” Despite suggesting that he would never go back on his decision to withdraw from Drive to Survive, Verstappen has done just that, as became apparent when the teaser trailer was released this week.
The Red Bull man had a minor part to play as he was asked how it felt to be back in the chair and in front of the camera, to which he replied: “Alright.” In 2022, F1 chief Stefano Domenicali called for constructive talks if drivers felt that their portrayal in the show was unfair.
Season five will cover the 2022 season, during which Verstappen romped to a landslide Drivers’ Championship victory by clinching 15 Grand Prix wins in a calendar year – a total unmatched by any driver in F1 history.
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