The biggest F1 stories Netflix could cover

Agosto 25, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

Netflix has officially confirmed that its Formula 1 docuseries Drive to Survive will return for a ninth season. The series is set to document the ongoing 2026 championship, so we are taking a look at what could feature in the series.

While information is yet to be released on the episodes for the ninth instalment of the show, there are already several storylines that could form the expected 10 episodes.

Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest driver to lead the F1 standings

In only his second season in F1, Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the championship after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. The Italian’s jump in performance was one of the biggest surprises of the first half of the season, especially as the focus had mainly been on his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Antonelli went on to secure a total of six grand prix wins in the opening half of the season and is now well and truly in the championship fight. He currently leads the standings by 59 points over Russell and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who are level on points.

George Russell’s string of bad luck

Russell was considered a clear favourite heading into the 2026 season. He won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the Chinese sprint race, but it all went downhill from there. As he watched his team-mate Antonelli pick up five consecutive wins, Russell suffered multiple issues, including car issues in China and Canada, an ill-timed safety car that hampered his strategy in Japan, and multiple pitlane speeding penalties in Monaco.

The Briton has since bounced back and continues to fight for the championship, but Drive to Survive will likely focus on Russell and the team dynamics at Mercedes.

The 2026 regulations

The introduction of the new technical regulations, featuring smaller, lighter cars, active aerodynamics and power units with an almost 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power, is also likely to feature on the show.

The regulation changes were met with criticism from some drivers and fans, especially following Oliver Bearman’s 50G crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. As a result, changes have already been introduced for 2027.

Aston Martin and Williams’ major issues

Expectations were high for both Aston Martin and Williams for the 2026 season. Aston Martin was heading into the first season of its new power unit partnership with Honda and its first car designed under the leadership of Adrian Newey, and Williams had been building up the excitement around its 2026 project throughout 2025.

Aston Martin arrived at pre-season testing with major issues affecting both the car and the power unit and decided to wait until the Hungarian Grand Prix to introduce a B-spec car. The Silverstone outfit currently sits 10th in the constructors’ championship.

Williams arrived at pre-season testing with an overweight car and already on the back foot, having missed the private test in Barcelona in January. The Grove outfit used the unexpected five-week break in April, due to the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix, to reduce the weight of the car, but it continues to struggle. It is expecting to gain performance with upgrades around the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton’s fight for his eighth championship

After a difficult first season with Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton bounced back in 2026. The new regulations seem to suit his driving style more than the ground effect era cars, and he came back from the winter break having had a mental reset.

He secured his first grand prix podium for Ferrari with a third-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, went on to celebrate two second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco before earning his first grand prix victory with the Maranello outfit at Barcelona.

The seven-time champion currently sits third in the drivers’ standings, level on points with second-placed Russell, and 59 points behind leader Antonelli.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

The not-so-silly season

There were multiple rumours circulating before and during the summer break about potential driver movements for 2027.

Max Verstappen was linked with a move to either Mercedes or McLaren, as well as retirement at the end of the year, but he put those rumours to bed by signing a contract extension with Red Bull that will keep him with the team until the end of 2030.

Carlos Sainz was thought to be looking around after the issues faced by Williams, but he has also since signed a contract extension with the Grove outfit, as has his team-mate Alex Albon.

Fernando Alonso’s future at Aston Martin remains up in the air. The two-time champion could consider retirement, but has also been linked to a move to Alpine.

Esteban Ocon’s seat at Haas has also come under scrutiny. He has consistently been outperformed by his team-mate Bearman throughout 2025 and 2026, raising questions about whether he will retain his contract for 2027.

Cadillac and Audi’s F1 entry

Cadillac joined the F1 grid as the 11th team in 2026 with the experienced driver line-up of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. While it is yet to pick up any points and has suffered reliability issues, it has received praise for its start in the championship.

Audi also joined in 2026 after its full takeover of Sauber. While the team started off well and currently sits eighth in the constructors’ standings, it has not been without its storylines. Team principal Jonathan Wheatley left abruptly in March.

McLaren’s resurgence

After Lando Norris won his maiden championship title in 2025, the change in regulations put McLaren behind Mercedes and Ferrari at the start of the year. But after back-to-back wins at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix and a strong upgrade package from the Woking outfit, Norris is suddenly back in the championship title talks.