Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is set to make a return to Drive to Survive this season after refusing to partake in any interviews in 2021.
The arrival of Netflix cameras to the paddock in 2018 caused a huge influx of fans from the United States, and this in turn has attracted interest from many different venues around the world.
However, the show’s producers have a tendence to dramatize as many aspects of the sport as they can and, in the reigning champion’s eyes, they have “faked” rivalries between drivers over the years.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali vowed to work with the Dutchman to rekindle his relationship with the show makers, and Verstappen now reveals that he has held some positive talks in recent weeks.
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“I’m not going to be too negative about it now because I mean, in the meantime, of course, I’ve talked to the people who are in charge, and who are running the show,” he told the Pardon my Take Podcast.
“So I think we actually came to a good understanding for the future, but up until now, that’s why of course last year, I was not really involved.
“I think there were a few things where I was not really happy with and especially, you know, faking rivalries between drivers that for me, is a tough one because of course, that one it was [shown] in America.”
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What the 24-year-old most took issue with was the fact that the show made several drivers seem a lot more unpleasant than they really are.
“But also, I think sometimes they portray a few drivers differently to how they actually are,” added Verstappen.
“And then of course, the people who are new to F1 think ‘oh, this guy is a bit of a d*ck’ or whatever, right, which in real life he’s not.
“But having said that, like I just said before, 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.”
Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Standings in by 46 points from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez 2022 after taking six wins in the opening nine rounds of the season.