Formula 1 Drive to Survive season 4 is confirmed, as Netflix's episodic documentary series has been renewed and will be returning in 2022.
The news of the show's return comes from Deadline, which reports (as one should expect), Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 will document the 2021 F1 season. The term "renewal" by Deadline is odd, considering that the 2021 season is taking place right now, meaning that both Netflix and Formula One, which both produce the series, had to already have started filming.
- Here are the best Netflix shows and TV series
- These are the best Netflix documentaries out right now
- Plus: Netflix’s Tudum event to showcase Stranger Things and more big shows, movies
At the moment, there is not a ton of information out right now, but here's everything we know so far about Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 4 release date
Our original prediction has come true: after Netflix said season 4 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive was set to debut in 2022, we looked at the following data:
The first season of Drive to Survive premiered on March 8, 2019 with seasons two and three seeing a release on February 28, 2020 and March 19, 2021 respectively. If the past is anything to go by, then we should expect season 4 to drop between late February and mid-March of 2022.
And the Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 Netflix release date turned out to be March 11!
Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4's drivers and subjects
In season three of Drive to Survive, we saw longtime and fan-favorite drivers leave the sport of Formula One. This included both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean of Haas Racing. The veteran drivers were replaced by two rookies, Nikita Mazepin of Russia and Mick Schumacher of Germany. Schumacher's announcement garnered a fair bit attention, considering his father is seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
A new face entering the sport will be Yuki Tsunoda of Japan, who replaced Daniil Kyvat of Russia for AlphaTauri.
Other than these three new racers, the rest of the drivers will likely be returning with some screen time. This includes current Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, Lando Norris of McLaren, Carlos Sainz for Ferrari, two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso for Alpine-Renault and Pierre Gasly for AlphaTauri. A full list can be found on the Formula One website.
One omission from this year's lineup is Alex Albon of Red Bull. While he dramatically switched his Torro Rosso seat with Gasly's of Red Bull in season 2, he had a difficult 2020 season. He's since been replaced by Sergio "Checo" Perez, who unceremoniously had his Racing Point seat taken away, even though he placed fourth overall in the 2020 F1 season. Seriously, if you haven't watched episode nine of season 3, it's easily the best in the series. That's all we'll say without spoiling too much.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4's potential storylines
Season 4 of Drive to Survive sees major mixups in the driver lineup. This loads the 2021 racing season with a lot of drama for series producers to play off of.
At the top, Sergio Perez has replaced Alex Albon over at Red Bull. Albon has been placed as a reserve driver for the team. And according to an article by Formula 1 senior writer Lawrence Barretto, Albon has been largely been relegated to the simulator, helping both Perez and Max Verstappen understand the car and tracks better. While Albon is thankful to continue being a part of the team, ultimately he has his eyes set on returning to the grid.
Over at Haas, the two rookies, Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher have been having a tough 2021 season. From crashes to social media snafus, it's been a difficult adjustment. Over in America, Romain Grosjean has joined Indycar with Dale Coyne Racing. Likely, the producers over at Netflix will fly out to an oval raceway to see how Grosjean is doing after being booted from F1.
Eyes will also be on McLaren, and if Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo can form a similar bond that Norris and Sainz had in past seasons. Over at Mercedes, rumors are already buzzing of Valterri Bottas not having his contract renewed at the end of the 2021 season, possibly being replaced by George Russell of Williams Racing.
