Toto Wolff

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff exposes 'made up' championship battle

The Mercedes boss isn't a fan of Drive to Survive

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 19 October 2025 12:58

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that he 'hated' season one of Netflix's Drive to Survive.

The hit show - which is now seven seasons deep with another one on the way - details certain storylines during an F1 season, with 2024's edition proving to be one of the juiciest yet.

While the show has really helped to boost the sport's profile and introduce F1 to a new generation of fans, it has at times been criticised by F1 stars for its over-dramatisation of certain storylines.

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Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has been one of the most vocal critics of the series, even refusing to take part in the documentary in the past.

Now, Wolff has opened up on his thoughts on the Netflix series, stating that he is not the biggest fan of the show.

He has pointed to season one, episode two, which is titled 'King of Spain' and shows a battle between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso for positions lower down the championship order.

"I started to watch and I hated it," admitted Wolff, speaking on the Autosport Business Exchange (ABX).

"It was Fernando Alonso against Carlos Sainz, and it was made up. [Treating it] like this is the competition for the world championship and I thought, that's not for me. Switched it off. Didn't even watch the second one."

Drive to Survive season seven

Arguably the most explosive season to date, the story of the 2024 season did not need to be over-dramatised by Netflix, with some incredible storylines within the world of F1.

Christian Horner's investigation at Red Bull and the ensuing chaos and departures from the Milton Keynes-based team, Lewis Hamilton's blockbuster switch to Ferrari announced before the start of 2024, and Max Verstappen and Lando Norris' championship battle were just some of the headlines that year.

Season eight is expected to be equally as juicy, with Norris and Oscar Piastri's championship battle likely to be studied in some detail, particularly focusing on the team orders fiascos that have accompanied that.

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