Lando Norris has accused the makers of Formula One’s hit Netflix series of creating “fabricated, made-up nonsense” and said they have “lost sight of reality”.
Norris, who captured pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, was speaking a week after the seventh series of Drive to Survive – which has helped propel F1 to a new fanbase – was released.
The second episode, “Frenemies”, depicts the rivalry between Norris, 25, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as they contended for the world championship last season.
Verstappen, 27, was characterised in the episode to be deeply upset by Norris’ maiden win in Miami, although the footage used of the Dutch driver – portrayed as being in the immediate aftermath of the Miami race – was from much later in the season.
“They need to show the truth about people more,” said Norris when asked to comment on the new series.
“I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts. I don’t want made-up scripts and fabricated nonsense, which there is.
“The portrayal of Max, and how we were against each other so much, they don’t need to create that drama, just show the facts.
“To portray someone in an incorrect way, people are going to have their opinions of that incorrect person. It is almost lying in some ways, and I just don’t think that’s correct. They just jumble up the whole thing and they don’t care when they put it in.
“Maybe it needs to be more of a documentary of the season, more than a show like they’re trying to do. It has drifted too far away.”
Verstappen also offered his response to the Netflix episode, saying: “Apparently I was very sad after Miami. I literally had the best time ever Sunday night, so I don’t know what I was upset about.”
An F1 spokesperson said: “Drive to Survive has been a very important part of growing the sport and reaching new audiences. We should focus on the positive impact of the series and not criticise something that has been hugely beneficial to the whole sport.”
Defending their position, Box To Box Films, the production company behind Drive to Survive, said: “The stories we tell across a series of Drive to Survive are not fabricated. The narratives clearly follow real events.
“In order to help make Formula One appeal to a wider audience, we tell these stories in an entertaining and compelling way, which has helped drive leagues of new fans to the sport; a legacy we’re incredibly proud of.
“We would obviously love to have cameras with the drivers 24/7 to capture every moment as it happens, but this isn’t possible; we have to edit the limited footage we are able to capture.
“The series is produced under incredible schedule pressure, and sometimes mistakes do happen. When these are pointed out to us, as was the case this year with some footage of Max post Miami GP, we move to correct these unintentional errors.
“Ultimately Drive to Survive is an entertainment show, not a season review, and we hope to continue helping F1 deliver entertaining content in future.”
