PIERRE GASLY has become the latest Formula 1 star to criticise Drive to Survive – claiming that “some scenes are kind of made up”.
The Netflix show has proven to be a huge hit, helping F1 reach a new, younger audience.
But showrunners have felt a backlash from the drivers themselves – with the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris having accused them of making up drama.
Weighing in on the matter, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly told GPFans: “I haven’t seen the whole series, so I haven’t seen like [more than] pretty much the first two episodes.
“You can clearly see that some scenes are kind of made up for the show. It’s difficult to speak for the drivers, I’m not in their position.
“I don’t know how they [Netflix] get on with other guys.
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“I think on our side with Yuki [Tsunoda], which is what I can compare, it was kind of normal.
“But obviously as a driver, you don’t want to be portrayed differently than the person you are in reality.
“I think that’s the main thing that we ask for.”
Drive to Survive has followed Gasly, 26, through his highs and lows – from being brutally dumped by Red Bull to his emotional first race win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
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While he recognises its dramatisation, the Frenchman has no personal beef with the show.
He added: “On my side, I never had any issue. I never felt like they were kind of changing or adding more drama than we had.
“I think we had enough drama over the last three years. It didn’t need more.”
Attempting to address drivers’ gripes, F1 chief Stefano Domenicali revealed that he will hold talks with Netflix.
He told motorsport.com: “There is no question that the Netflix project has had a very successful effect.
“In order to ignite the interest of a new audience, a tone was used that in some ways focused on dramatising the story.
We will also talk to Netflix, because it is necessary that the story does not move away from reality
F1 chief Stefano Domenicali
“It’s an opportunity, but I think it needs to be understood. We talked about it this weekend [in Bahrain] at a meeting with the teams as well.
“A driver who refuses to participate because he feels he is not being represented in the right way is not being constructive; so a dialogue is needed to understand how he can be included in a format that he feels is correct.
“We will also talk to Netflix, because it is necessary that the story does not move away from reality, otherwise it no longer fits.
“It is a topic that we will address together with the drivers. We have to make sure that a project that has generated such exceptional traction has a language that continues to appeal, but without distorting the image and the meaning of the sport that we live with every day.”
