The latest season of the hit Netflix series "Drive To Survive" is dropping on Friday, February 23. While the battle for the Formula 1 World Championship titles turned out to be predictable, there was a lot of drama behind the scenes. Fans were particularly intrigued by a tense exchange between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and driver Lewis Hamilton, which was featured briefly in the trainer.
Netflix and Formula 1 shared the first official trailer of Season 6 of "Drive to Survive" on Tuesday, and it did not come as a big surprise that Hamilton was on the thumbnail. In the clip, he is seen having what seems to be a very serious discussion with Wolff inside the latter's office.
Hamilton says: "You can be here for 20 more years, "I can't."
The camera cuts to Wolff staring blankly at Hamilton, without saying a single word. Ironically, in the clip that came before that, Wolff was captured saying that it is the team's responsibility to give their drivers a good car.
F1 fans will know that Mercedes has failed in doing that for Hamilton and his teammate George Russell in the last two seasons. They have been eaten up by the Red Bulls on the track, with 451 points dividing the two teams at the end of last season.
In the trailer, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says: "A driver's career has a finite amount of time to it." Indeed, Hamilton appears to agree with that train of thought, and he made it known to his boss as seen in the trailer. It is unclear when this conversation took place, but it seems as though Wolff had known for a while that Hamilton is seeking a new challenge.
Fast forward to February 1, 2024, and it was made known to the world that Hamilton has decided to activate the release clause on his two-year deal with Mercedes. He also confirmed that he will be driving for Scuderia Ferrari from 2025.
When he spoke about the move, Wolff told members of the media that Hamilton spoke to him about the decision over coffee in the same week as the announcement. However, as the Netflix trailer suggests, the two of them have been having conversations about it for a while, and perhaps this season's "Drive to Survive" will also allow fans to get a better understanding of what motivated Hamilton to seek pastures new.
It is understood that Hamilton has a multi-year deal with Ferrari, something that comes as an even bigger shock considering that he is already 39 years old. In recent decades, it has been rare for F1 drivers to continue racing into their late 30s, much less their 40s. However, with Kimi Raikkonen retiring at 42 and with Fernando Alonso still going strong at the same age, it seems as though the trend is shifting.
Nevertheless, Hamilton is surely reaching the twilight of his career, and as he said in his announcement, he wants to fulfil his childhood dream of racing in Ferrari red.
This has broken the hearts of millions of Mercedes fans worldwide, but many of Hamilton's die-hards have already pledged their allegiance to the Italian marque. Wolff, however, wishes to have a successful season with Hamilton in 2024, but he knows that he will have to root for his own team and drivers from 2025 onwards.
"Drive to Survive" will surely dive into the topic even further, along with many other storylines that are developing as we speak. Also in the trailer, Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll is seen promising that he plans to build the best F1 team in the world. Cut to a scene showing Alonso, whose name is being heavily linked with a move to Mercedes to fill the seat vacated by Hamilton. It remains to be seen if Aston Martin will be able to keep Alonso by giving him a competitive car this year.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez is also in the hot seat, with many believing that he is not able to make the most out of his Red Bull's full potential. Speculations are swirling around a possible Red Bull comeback for Daniel Ricciardo, but the Mexican still has a season to prove that he's the best man for the job.
Elsewhere, Pierre Gasly admits that there are still tensions between him and childhood rival Esteban Ocon, who now drives with him at Alpine.
The Championship may have been entirely one-sided with Red Bull winning 21 out of 22 races in 2023, but there has been a lot of drama both on and off the track. The tension is palpable in the air and there will surely be a lot of binge-watching this weekend.
