Why is Max Verstappen not in Formula 1 Drive to Survive season 4? Producers explain 'storm in a teacup'
Drive to Survive season 4 launches this week but one key character will not feature heavily.
Max Verstappen will not feature in one-to-one interviews in Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 but the show's producers have played down tensions with the reigning F1 world champion.
The smash-hit Netflix documentary is back for a fourth run of episodes, taking fans behind the scenes and into the underbelly of the paddock.
F1:DTS has been widely praised for the access it offers to fans – both die-hards and casual viewers – with a whole range of superstar names featuring regularly throughout each season.
Many F1 drivers have taken the cameras into their own homes and personal lives, but Verstappen is not among them in 2022.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Box to Box Films, the production company behind F1:DTS, have described the situation with Verstappen as "overinflated" after the driver refused to get involved with the show with concerns over the accuracy of its portrayal of rivalries and life in the F1 world.
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Producer James Gay-Rees said: "I think the whole noise around this and Max and the show is slightly overinflated. I think Max's perception of the show and the reality of the show are actually much closer. He doesn't think it's one thing and it's another. It's actually very, very subtle differences, you know, if it's even a difference at all.
"He actually is in the show because we filmed with his entire team. We filmed with Checo [Perez], we filmed with Christian, we filmed with all the mechanics. He's in it anyway so he's not notable by his absence to be honest with you.
"We filmed with him at the end. We're in some very personal spaces with him, with his dad, with his team. I think the perception of the disconnect is bigger than the reality. I saw him last week. Honestly, it's a bit of a storm in a teacup."
Gay-Rees' fellow producer Paul Martin added that the door remains open for Verstappen to work with the team again, if the show goes on.
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He said: "There's always an ongoing dialogue. From our perspective, if he wants to sit down for an interview this year, great." Gay-Rees added: "He's done it in the past, he'll do it again."
The flying Dutchman recorded his first world title in 2021 following a dramatic – and controversial – showdown with Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the season.
In October 2021, in an interview with Associated Press, he was quoted as saying: “They faked a few rivalries which they don’t really exist."
"So I decided to not be a part of it and did not give any more interviews after that because then there is nothing you can show."
In a fresh interview with Autosport ahead of 2022 F1 testing in Bahrain, Verstappen doubled down on his refusal to feature in the show, saying: "No, I won’t change my mind.
“I think that was already ruined after Season 1. I think I’m quite a down to earth guy, and I just want it to be facts and don’t hype it up."
Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 4 arrives on Netflix Friday 11th March. Seasons 1 to 3 are available now on Netflix. If you’re looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub.
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