Drive to Survive Season 7: The seven best moments from the latest Netflix series
11 March 2025Netflix’s Drive to Survive is back for a highly anticipated seventh season, delivering another behind-the-scenes deep dive into the intriguing and ever-evolving world of F1. With huge narratives emerging throughout the year, Season 7 promised unseen drama by the bucketload, and it has once again delivered.
With exclusive access to drivers, team principals, and the biggest storylines in the paddock, the latest season offers a fresh perspective on the championship battle, unexpected twists, and the human stories that make F1 so compelling. But which moments stood out the most? We’ve rounded up the seven best moments from Drive to Survive Season 7.
Episode 1
Back with a bang: Hamilton’s Ferrari switch
Like the 2024 F1 season itself, Drive to Survive Season 7 wasted no time delivering major headlines. The biggest bombshell? Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, a decision that sent shockwaves through the paddock.
Some candid moments between Lewis and Toto Wolff at Mercedes’ car launch provided insight into the light-hearted atmosphere following the announcement, with Toto even joking about red featuring on that year’s livery.
A scene in which the Team Principal weighs up the options for Hamilton’s replacement followed, referencing Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz as being up for consideration.
Episode 2
Lando no wins
For all his raw talent, Lando Norris’ first win has eluded him, and it was a much-discussed narrative in F1 fandom prior to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. In this episode, Lando unpacked his mindset, and the resilience required to keep the hope of that first victory alive.
Then came the fateful day at the Miami International Autodrome where those voices were silenced. Lando discloses how he injured his nose in the run up to that weekend, but he doesn’t let that stop him from taking a maiden F1 victory.
Emotional moments are captured with those close to Lando – including a phone call with his mother – before scenes of celebration with the whole team at the picturesque McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.
READ MORE: Norris’ best chance yet
Episode 3
Big shoes to fill: Does George Russell have what it takes to lead Mercedes?
The third episode of Drive to Survive Season 7 explored what went into replacing the most successful driver in Formula 1 history. George Russell’s ability to lead the team was brought into question, while the vacant Mercedes seat was also a hot topic.
Russell’s run of recent mistakes raised questions over whether he is team leader material or not, which he duly dispels by way of his superb Silverstone pole – topping an all-British 1-2-3 in qualifying for the British Grand Prix – and his Belgian Grand Prix performance (prior to an unwelcome disqualification penalty) that followed two rounds after.
With Kimi Antonelli announced in the same episode, the conversation naturally switches to the young Italian’s credentials, reputation and ability to give George a run for his money.
Episode 7
Driver vlogs: Norris, Gasly, Leclerc, Russell and Albon take over in Singapore
Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, George Russell and Alex Albon have known each other since their early days in karting. In 2024, Netflix gave the quintet phones at the Singapore weekend to document the weekend with unprecedented insight into the life of an F1 driver during a race weekend.
From jet-lagged hotel room confessions to George Russell’s travel bedding reveal, this episode provides a refreshing format switch up for the series.
Among the other highlights were witnessing Alex’s perspective on the Singaporean fandom his Southeast Asian heritage affords and Lando’s reaction to a truly dominant weekend.
Episode 8
Sharks circling: Red Bull’s cutthroat driver programme
With Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo all vying for a 2025 seat, last season was a particularly tense one for all Red Bull drivers without the surname Verstappen.
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone proved to be a pivotal event for Daniel and Sergio, as the experienced race winners struggled in the changeable, typically British conditions. That ultimately sealed both of their fates, with Lawson being handed the RB drive from Austin onwards and subsequently the full-fat Red Bull seat for 2025.
Episode 9
Oliver Bearman makes third appearance as P6 Constructors' battle intensifies
Oliver Bearman made his third and final appearance of the season for Haas at the Brazilian Grand Prix and Netflix was there to capture it. Having been drafted in as super sub for appendicitis-stricken Carlos Sainz in Jeddah, Bearman’s services were enlisted by Haas – the team he’d signed to race with in 2025 – for both Azerbaijan and Brazil later in the year.
The Banbury outfit were locking horns with Alpine for sixth in the Constructors’ standings in the final stages of the season, and the hope was that Bearman would aid the team in that battle.
Unfortunately for the young Brit, Interlagos proved a trickier customer than the Jeddah Corniche or Baku City Circuit before it. Treacherous conditions and a chaotic race saw him finish outside of the points after hitting the barrier, and a frank but encouraging exchange with Team Principal Ayao Komatsu followed.
Episode 10
Closure: titles decided, a fond farewell
The series’ final episode summarises the final four events in which both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships were wrapped up.
Lando confesses to a literal sleepless night in the wake of his missed opportunity at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but still shares a moment congratulating Max on the drivers’ title in Las Vegas.
Celebratory moments of McLaren’s first Constructors’ title in 26 years were also captured, including an amicable exchange between Zak Brown and Christian Horner.
In the closing scenes, Toto Wolff records an emotional voice message to the departing Lewis Hamilton in which he describes the importance of a supportive team.
