Max has another dig at Netflix over Norris treatment

Jon Wilde
Max Verstappen being interviewed. Jeddah March 2022.

Max Verstappen being interviewed on practice day for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Jeddah March 2022.

Max Verstappen has hit out again at ‘Drive to Survive’ – this time taking issue with their portrayal of Lando Norris in the latest series.

The World Champion has withdrawn his co-operation for the Netflix docuseries, no longer contributing any interviews as he feels rivalries are faked.

“From my side as a driver, I don’t like being part of it,” said Verstappen last autumn. “They faked a few rivalries which don’t really exist. I’m not really a dramatic show kind of person. I just want facts and real things to happen.”

Norris recently objected to the way his relationship with his McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was presented in the ‘Drive to Survive’ series covering the 2021 season, believing events had been shown out of sequence to try and suggest more friction than was actually the case.

Verstappen, who gets on well with both drivers, did not like it either.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen talk after qualifying. Abu Dhabi, December 2021.
Lando Norris, McLaren, and Max Verstappen, Red Bull, talk after qualifying in Abu Dhabi. December 2021.

“They try to pick moments throughout the season and fabricate it in a way,” said Verstappen at a press conference before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend action got under way, quoted by ESPN.

“For me personally, what I didn’t like was about Lando and Daniel. I think they are two great guys, really nice first of all, and they made it look like Lando was a bit of a d*ck, which he isn’t at all.

“I know Lando and I think many people know Lando. He’s a funny guy, a great guy, he has a great character and when you look at that episode you think ‘who is this guy, what’s going on?’

“I think when you are new to the sport and you’ve never seen a Formula 1 car in general, they do like him and why should that be? Because he’s a great guy. You just immediately get a wrong picture of a person and that’s exactly what I think about me in the beginning.

“I’m someone who, when you ruin it from the start, you don’t fix it, that’s it, you’ve ruined it. So that’s my stance and that’s how I’ll go forward.”

 

Verstappen was also concerned that, having decided not to be interviewed for the latest series, he nevertheless still featured in what he suspected was old footage.

“I watched a few episodes of the last one and I was surprised I suddenly found myself talking in it,” said the Dutchman.

“It’s probably stuff from 2018 or something they picked up and used again about fighting and what I like to do. That of course was not correct – I could already hear my voice was a bit different.

“A lot of times I was saying stuff and they had the beam [microphone] around, so I have to be a bit more careful with that. It’s just not my thing.”

 

Max: Drive to Survive 'ruined after first season'

Max Verstappen believes that Drive to Survive was ruined after its first season.