Netflix's Drive to Survive series is brilliant. Its focus is Formula 1 but we wouldn't say you need to be a motorsports fan to appreciate it. In fact, you might even find that you like the series more than a diehard F1 fan because you may not necessarily know the results of some races, making the episodes more exciting. F1 fans meanwhile, get to see things from a different perspective. It's a win-win.

Focusing on the drama on and off the track, Drive to Survive has given us a great insight into the last four F1 seasons, the teams and the drivers, and it's continuing in 2023. Netflix confirmed a fifth season and that's now here.

This is everything you need to know about Drive to Survive season 5, including how to watch it.

Drive to Survive season 5 release date

The fifth season of Drive to Survive dropped on 24 February 2023.

This isn't too surprising as it's a similar release timeline to the last season. It allowed for the 2022 F1 season to finish and production to finalised.

Drive to Survive season 5: Everything we know so far photo 2How to watch Drive to Survive season 5

As with the previous four seasons, Drive to Survive season 5 is on Netflix. Like Bridgerton, it's exclusive to the streaming platform so you'll need to make sure you have your subscription ready if you want to watch any future seasons or catch up on previous ones.


What is the best streaming device for your TV? Our top recommendation is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Also excellent are the Google Chromecast with Google TV, the Roku Express 4K, the Apple TV 4K and the Amazon Fire TV Stick.


What to expect from Drive to Survive season 5

We expect Drive to Survive season 5 to follow a similar pattern to the previous seasons. If it ain't broke, don't fix it right? We'd therefore expect to see each episode focus on one or two of the teams and the lead up to a certain race or races. In that focus, there will likely be interviews with the drivers involved again, as well as the team principles, and you'll get an insight into the drivers and rivalries, as well as any drama.

You'll also get analysis from F1 journalists like Will Buxton, offering a different perspective or opinion on whatever is going on off the track, as well as on it.

We don't know what teams or drivers might have agreed to take part, but the season is already shaping up to be an interesting one - especially with the new rules imposed on the manufacturers.

We saw Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams, Renault and Scuderia Ferrari all featuring last year, along with drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris and Sergio Perez among others.

Max Verstappen didn't take part in season 4 despite being part of previous seasons, though the driver has been in talks with Netflix for season 5 and it looks like he will back. As a guest on the Pardon My Take podcast, Verstappen said about Drive to Survive: "I'm not going to be too negative about it now. I've talked to the people who are in charge and running the show. So, I think we actually came to a good understanding for the future ... I think for the future, we came to a good understanding of how we can work together. So yeah, I'm sure in the next one, you will see a little bit more of me."

Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principle has played a big part in the show for the last four seasons, so we don't expect to miss out on too much of the Red Bull action even if Verstappen doesn't return fully.

Is there a Drive to Survive season 5 trailer?

Yes, Netflix has dropped the Drive to Survive season 5 trailer - or first look - so we have some idea of what drivers have returned. You can watch it below.

How many episodes will Drive to Survive season 5 have?

Drive to Survive seasons one to four have all had 10 episodes each. Season 5 offers the same.

How to catch up on previous Drive to Survive seasons 1-4

You can watch all the previous seasons of Drive to Survive on Netflix. Seasons one, two, three and four are all available to watch now after season 4 appeared on 11 March 2022.

Anything else worth knowing?

If you're a Formula 1 fan then there's plenty to watch in terms of docuseries at the moment.

Sky has a two-part documentary called Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen. You need to have a Sky subscription, or a NOW entertainment subscription but it's worth a watch.

Apple TV+ is also working with Lewis Hamilton on a documentary about the seven-time World Champion. We don't know when it will air as yet, but you can read everything we know so far in our separate feature.