Best Netflix racing series and movies in 2024: from F1 to NASCAR
Our picks for the best F1 and motor sport films, series and documentaries on Netflix, including Senna, Schumacher and Drive to Survive
Gabriel Leone plays Ayrton Senna in new Netflix drama series
Netflix
From peeks behind the Formula 1 curtain to award-winning documentaries on racing icons, Netflix has gradually become home to some of the best racing movies and series available to stream.
The latest addition to the dozens of motor sport-centric pictures that viewers can currently choose from is Senna, which offers a dramatised look back at the Brazilian’s meteoric rise through the racing ranks.
Find more details on the six-part series below, alongside our other top picks for racing movies to watch over the Christmas break.
Senna
Senna is a brand new Netflix series, released in November 2024, which gives a dramatised view of Ayrton’s rise through the motor sport ranks.
Produced in collaboration with Senna’s family, this series is a tribute to the Brazilian — 30 years on from his death — and offers a different perspective of many of his career-defining moments: from his early rivalries in karting with Peter Koene and Terry Fullerton to his F1 journey from Toleman to Lotus and then to McLaren.
The great Alain Prost is cast, again, as the series’ main ‘villain’.
Rush
Rush depicts the clash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, playing up the image of playboy racer vs exemplary professional against the backdrop of their 1976 F1 title battle.
The story has been overdramatised for effect; it’s fairly well known that Hunt and Lauda were on reasonably good terms as far as F1 adversaries go, but the tale is entertaining, and the on-track action spectacular.
To be fair, Lauda did say Rush was “80 per cent right”, so who’s going to argue with a three-time world champion?
Schumacher
This documentary details the extraordinary motor sport journey of Michael Schumacher as he progressed through a record-breaking career.
From his rags to riches karting story and his F1 debut with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix to his reign of dominance with Ferrari, this film offers a nuanced portrait of Schumacher’s journey from a humble upbringing to winning seven drivers’ world championships.
Post-retirement and his tragic skiing accident are sensitively explored, portraying Schumacher not just as a racing legend, but as a devoted family man and an enduring icon.
Drive to Survive
Drive to Survive has become such an entrenched part of the F1 calendar that it has become part of the pre-season routine. Ahead of Season 7’s look back at the 2024 championship, expected in February, this Christmas offers the ideal opportunity to catch up on the on-and-off-track antics that have hit the world championship over the last few seasons. Drive to Survive is the perfect way to do just that.
Netflix cameras have been the F1 pitlane since 2018 and captured many of the biggest storylines: from Daniel Ricciardo’s blockbuster move from Red Bull to Renault and the Covid-plagued 2020 season to the various controversies of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s intense rivalry in 2021.
NASCAR: Full Speed
NASCAR gets the full Drive to Survive treatment in this five-episode series which details the 2023 Cup Series Playoff stage.
There’s high-definition shots of dramatic wheel-to-wheel racing action, behind-the-scenes access to the likes of Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney, and the narrative of the championship battle.
But its narrow focus on the end of the season, and a limited cast of drivers misses much of the year’s dramatic moments.
Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia
A golden era of Group B rallying is depicted in Race for Glory, which was released earlier this year.
This picture details the heated rivalry between German car giant Audi and comparative automotive lightweight Lancia at the 1983 Rally World Championship.
It’s a true David vs Goliath Story and, although it may pale in comparison to the other films and series on this list, it is great to see Walter Röhrl and Finland’s Markku Alén blast through various bits of countryside in a Lancia Rally 037.