Esteban Ocon says Drive to Survive ‘reflects reality but in a strange way’

Esteban Ocon has become the latest Formula 1 driver to criticise the way Netflix’s Drive to Survive portrays the sport.

The hit Netflix show released its fifth season on Friday but did so following mounting criticism particularly from within the paddock of its failure to accurately portray events.

Max Verstappen may have relented and appeared in the most recent season but for years he refused to do so as he claimed what Netflix showed was fake.

Toto Wolff has suggested something similar while Lando Norris said this week that the show made it out like he and Carlos Sainz were “biggest enemies” when they were team-mates at McLaren.

With the latest season out, the paddock is split between those that have watched it and those that would prefer to do anything but and Alpine’s Ocon admitted he had watched the episode that focused on him and the French team.

“It’s reflecting reality but in a strange way,” Ocon told media including PlanetF1.com in Bahrain. “For example, I finished P8 in France and I said [in the show] ‘this was just like a win today.’ I never said that.

“I think I probably said that when we finished fifth in Austria or fourth in Japan, but not when I finish eighth in France. These things feel strange, but I guess it’s part of the show and we can’t complain about being on such a highly-viewed platform.

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“I think it’s awesome. Netflix’s been with us a lot this year so far, coming to many different events so we’re probably going to feature quite a bit next season.”

Ocon was then asked if things like that were enough for him to seek out the producers of those shows but unlike others on the grid, he was not too bothered about setting the record straight.

“I don’t complain about that but I don’t want to make it sound like I’m happy with P8,” the 26-year-old said.

“I want to win, I don’t want to finish P8, but it’s fine for those kinds of things.”

Ocon went on to reveal he does not have a say in the editing of the show but “that’s what you sign up for.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher