Season 8 of Netflix’s Drive To Survive was released on February 27, and therefore, I’ve spent the last 4 days re-living the 2025 Formula 1 season on my television. This season was noticeably shorter than previous seasons, with only 8 episodes. That being said, there were still many interesting moments that the show gave viewers insight into. Here’s an honest review of Season 8 of Netflix’s Drive to Survive and what they got right and wrong.

Right: Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull Racing

One of the biggest moments of last season was Christian Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull Racing. Episode 4 focused on growing tension between Horner and the rest of the team, capped off by his exit interview.

Horner’s demise starts early in the show. In Episode 1, he is loudly booed at the F1 75 launch. By the time Episode 4 rolls around, Horner is a shell of the personality he once was in front of the camera. After being ousted, the show takes us into Horner’s home, where he shares the news with his wife.

This was a huge part of the 2025 F1 season. DTS made sure to give this moment the attention it deserved.

Wrong: The Zak Brown Show at McLaren

This season was always going to be heavy on McLaren, so it’s no surprise that Zak Brown features prominently. However, Netflix covers Brown so extensively, and in such a cartoonish way, that it was distracting.

There are only so many times viewers can watch Zak Brown at a fancy McLaren event or say something cringey on camera. It doesn’t help that Brown lacks the charm the show has relied on in the past from team personnel (we miss you, Guenther Steiner).

Right: 3-way title fight in Abu Dhabi

Watching the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix felt a bit anticlimactic. Despite a largely uneventful race, Drive to Survive made the race feel exciting, though most viewers already knew the outcome.

They relied on team radio, paddock moments, and on-board footage to tell the story. The result was a suspenseful and exciting conclusion to the title fight and the season.

Wrong: McLaren’s Papaya Rules discourse

With so much focus on McLaren, it’s shocking that Drive To Survive had almost no mention of the papaya rules controversy. McLaren’s use of team orders was one of the biggest stories of 2025, and yet this wasn’t covered at all.

Instead, viewers got footage of Zak Brown, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri pretending there was no tension at all. It’s possible that the drivers did not want to air out any grievances through the show. However, ignoring the issue outright felt disingenuous. There was no mention made of driver swap issues in Monza or Singapore, which was a definite miss by Netflix.

Right: Red Bull’s second seat problem

Red Bull’s problems in 2025 largely centred around their second seat, and this was a definite focus of the show. Viewers see the light in Liam Lawson’s eyes fade quickly over the 60-minute episode.

Lawson’s experience as a Red Bull driver was interspersed with footage of Kimi Antonelli’s rookie season at Mercedes. Their polar opposite experiences underscored just how much the culture of a team can make or break a driver. As Red Bull looks to debut their third new driver in two years, this storyline was well-timed and relevant.

This contrast will be especially important going into the 2026 season. Red Bull opens with Isack Hadjar in their second seat with a lot to prove, while Mercedes has placed a ton of faith in Kimi Antonelli growing this year for Mercedes. Then there’s Lawson, waiting in the wings at Racing Bulls this season, hoping for a better opportunity. How they are valued in F1 Fantasy this year shows just how much optimism there is for each driver.

Wrong: No Haas or Aston Martin

It’s fair that a team not in contention for a title wouldn’t be featured heavily in the show. However, two teams were outright ignored in Season 8: Aston Martin and Haas. Apart from a brief mention of Ollie Bearman’s rookie season and Lance Stroll’s prediction for the Driver’s title, viewers saw nothing from these teams.

It’s possible these teams did not want to be heavily featured in the show this year, which is their choice. Unfortunately, for the viewers, this resulted in very uneven coverage. I, for one, could have done with less Zak Brown fluff and more honest conversations from midfield teams.

Overall, Drive to Survive got it more right than wrong. While they did miss some key storylines this season, overall, the season was engaging, high-energy, and worth a watch (or two or three).

What did you think of Drive To Survive Season 8? Did it tell the story of the 2025 season, or have they lost their touch? Let us know!