Lando Norris says he is “not a fan of the fake stuff” as he criticised the makers of the Drive to Survive show about Formula 1 on Netflix.
The British driver highlighted the way the seventh season of the show, which was recently released, depicted the rivalry between him and Max Verstappen last year as they fought for the drivers’ title.
In the second episode, Red Bull’s Verstappen was portrayed as being upset when McLaren’s Norris claimed his maiden win in Miami – but the footage used was from later in the season.
“They need to show the truth about people more,” said Norris, who claimed pole position in Australia for the opening race of the 2025 campaign.
“I’m not a fan of fake stuff. I want facts. I don’t want made-up scripts and fabricated nonsense, which there is.
“The portrayal of Max, and how we were against each other so much, they don’t need to create that drama, just show the facts.
“It is almost lying in some ways, and I just don’t think that’s correct. They just jumble up the whole thing and they don’t care when they put it in.
“Maybe it needs to be more of a documentary of the season, more than a show like they’re trying to do. It has drifted too far away.”
Dutch driver Verstappen eventually won the title and addressed the way he was represented in the episode of the Netflix series.
“Apparently I was very sad after Miami,” he said. “I literally had the best time ever Sunday night, so I don’t know what I was upset about.”
Box To Box Films, the production company behind Drive to Survive, insisted the stories they told were not “fabricated” and the “narratives clearly follow real events”.
They added: “The series is produced under incredible schedule pressure, and sometimes mistakes do happen.
“When these are pointed out to us, as was the case this year with some footage of Max post-Miami GP, we move to correct these unintentional errors.”
An F1 spokesperson said: “Drive to Survive has been a very important part of growing the sport and reaching new audiences.
“We should focus on the positive impact of the series and not criticise something that has been hugely beneficial to the whole sport.”
