Toto Wolff has revealed that he finds the amount of access Netflix cameras have to the inner workings of Formula 1 "scary", and accused its creators of creating fake scenes.
The fourth season of Formula 1: Drive to Survive is set for release on Friday, revealing never-before-seen footage of the enthralling 2021 season.
It is set to be the most explosive yet, considering the epic and controversial title race between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is just one of the subjects set to be covered.
The show has been a huge success both for Netflix and for F1 itself, which has seen a massive boost in popularity as fans of the show tune in to watch the live action themselves.
Mercedes chief Wolff is one of those who, in the past, has lauded the show's impact in terms of bringing a new generation of fans to the sport.
That's not to say he is entirely on board with Drive to Survive, though, as the Austrian has revealed some concerns about the way what is filmed over the course of a season is presented in the final cut.
"It's scary how much we let them in," Wolff said. "You hate to see yourself in there.
"They create a spin to the narrative – they put scenes together that didn't happen.
"I guess you'd say as an insider, 'well that's different than how it was'. But we're creating entertainment, and that is a new dimension of entertainment."
He did go on to speak more positively about the show, though, and suggested that such access would never have been allowed while Bernie Ecclestone was in charge of F1.
"Bernie Ecclestone would say, 'I'm not interested in the 15-35 [year-olds] because they are not buying Rolexes from my sponsor," Wolff added.
"But obviously that has changed because, with social media, this is the demographic that's driving the audiences, that's driving the reach – and they are the future decision-makers.
"Formula 1, from our perspective, always was a global sport – big in Europe, big in South America, big in Asia and in the Middle East.
"In a way, we never accessed or excited the American audiences. Formula 1 is a niche sport – it's a high-tech, high-income demographic, high-academic education.
"I thought it must be easier to tap the audiences in the big cities, like New York, but we really never got there. Then Liberty took over, didn't move the needle really. And then Netflix came, Covid came and people started to binge-watch.
"And then suddenly we have this huge momentum now in the US that nobody had expected."
Season four will feature new footage inside Verstappen's eventually successful bid to dethrone Hamilton in the drivers' championship.
However, the Dutchman will not feature in the show as an interviewee, unlike many of his peers, after declining to do so over his personal feelings about the documentary.
"They faked a few rivalries which don’t really exist," he said when he made that news public. "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.
"I am not really a dramatic show kind of person, I just want facts and real things to happen.
"The problem is they will always position you in a way they want, so whatever you say, they will try to make you look reckless or trying to make you... whatever fits the story of the series.
"So I never really liked that. I prefer to just have a one-on-one interview with the person who would like to know me."
