Carlos Sainz has a prominent role in the new series, perhaps unsurprisingly given his wins for Ferrari, the occasional battle for supremacy against team-mate Charles Leclerc, and his imminent replacement by Hamilton. Sainz is the first driver to speak in the trailer, saying: “This sport is tough”.
Christian Horner is under the spotlight too, as we see more of the fallout from allegations over inappropriate behaviour, which were later dismissed by the team. Once again there’s friction between him and rival team bosses. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is shown saying: “We’ll see if we can get him to crack”. The trailer then cuts to Horner: “Zak is a prick”.
The role of series villain though has been handed to Alpine consultant Flavio Briatore, who’s seen sitting back in front of a tense Jack Doohan, saying slowly: “I control you every millimetre”.
The theme of pressure runs throughout the preview, including Lando Norris talking about “the eyes on you from the outside”. Former team boss Claire Williams saying: “You cannot underestimate the mental pressure”, and Franco Colapinto‘s massive crash in Brazil as he tried to secure a seat on the 2025 grid.
Ferrari and McLaren aren’t short of tales to tell either. “Any team needs total unity,” says Zak Brown in the trailer, referencing the mid-season power struggle between McLaren’s drivers as its car developed into a race-winner. Lando Norris found himself in title contention, but also had to battle with the impressive Oscar Piastri.
There’s also the return of one series favourite: Guenther Steiner is given the last word.
Read on for more on Drive to Survive Season 7.
When is Drive to Survive Season 7 released? What time?
Drive to Survive Season 7 will be released on March 7, in the intervening week between pre-season testing in Bahrain (February 26-28) and the first race of 2025 in Australia (March 16).
Netflix tends to drop new series at 8am GMT (12am Pacific Time).
Drive to Survive Season 7 trailer
Watch the Drive to Survive Season 7 trailer at the top of this page, released one week before the episodes drop on March 7.
How is Drive to Survive made?
Embedded within the teams, Netflix crews are able to get closer to the action than anyone else, giving viewers an immersive feel of what it’s like to be at motor sport’s top echelon. Filming takes place at each race, where the focus is typically on one or two of the teams.
The black backdrop is set to return for Season 7
Netflix
Teams and DtS production company Box to Box Films agree in advance where camera crews will be embedded for each race weekend, and also discuss what storylines they are likely to follow. Key figures wear radio microphones during the weekend, and the crew can also be seen with overhead boom mics, capturing footage throughout the paddock, in team garages and even in usually highly restricted debrief rooms.
The lenses are often trained on the drivers from the moment that they walk into the paddock, while race footage is supplied by F1 as part of the exclusive deal between the series and Netflix.
There’s plenty of co-operation between film-makers and the teams, with location shoots regularly featuring in the series. Who can forget team bosses Guenther Steiner and Mattia Binotto driving through Italy’s Dolomite mountains in a tiny Fiat 500 at the start of Season 5?
Teams then get first viewing on material which involves them, in case they might want to seriously oppose any of it being aired. While the approach does offer unique and otherwise unseen insights, it also leaves viewers wondering how much was not filmed or unused.
Who is filming Drive to Survive Season 7?
Box to Box Films is the company behind Drive to Survive, headed by executive producer Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees.
The series blazed a trail for this type of approved docudrama, which has been replicated across the sporting world with varying degrees of success. While MotoGP Unlimited (not made by Box to Box) failed to inspire, others have offered an entertaining and informative behind-the-scenes view of sporting events and characters, including DtS‘s tennis equivalent Break Point, Full Swing which follows golf’s PGA Tour, and cycling’s Tour de France: Unchained.
In addition to a raft of sporting documentaries, Box to Box has also produced successful films on Ayrton Senna, Diego Maradona and Amy Winehouse.
Is Christian Horner in Drive to Survive Season 7?
The cameras were filming Christian Horner (alongside Adrian Newey) in 2024: how much will we see?
Kym Illman/Getty Images
The explosive accusations against Christian Horner alleging “inappropriate behaviour” were levied against him in the run up to the 2024 campaign are covered in Season 7 of Drive to Survive but the series steers clear of the allegations themselves and focuses on ho the fallout affected Horner and Red Bull.
Horner’s role in Drive to Survive has grown with its popularity, as the Red Bull team boss appeared in almost every episode. His persona is made for the series, thanks to his heated interactions with the likes of Cyril Abiteboul — once the supplier of underperforming Renault engines to the team — and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. He’s also quick with a one-liner when speaking in front of the DtS cameras too.