The current leader of the F1 world championship and one of the favourites to win the title this year, Max Verstappen has revealed that he has refused to participate in the Netflix "Drive To Survive" documentary because it fictionalised elements for narrative purposes. F1 has acknowledged that the documentary series has been a catalyst in driving popularity for the sport globally, particularly in the North American continent. This is also contentious because Verstappen and Hamilton are embroiled in a titanic fight for the world title which is the closest since 2012 which was between Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
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"They would fake a lot of stuff," said the Dutchman who has been hailed as the best driver in the world on current form.
"They faked a few rivalries which don't really exist. So I decided to not be a part of it and did not give any more interviews after that because then there is nothing you can show. I am not really a dramatic show kind of person, I just want facts and real things to happen," he explained.
Verstappen and Hamilton came together at Monza resulting in both retiring
"The problem is they will always position you in a way they want, so whatever you say, they will try to make you look reckless or try to make you... whatever fits the story of the series. So I never really liked that. I prefer to just have a one-on-one interview with the person who would like to know me," he added.
Verstappen and Hamilton have crashed twice and the relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes has soured as a result of this. Even both team principals Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have been sniping at each other. Verstappen's participation would've made the documentary very juicy.
And in case Verstappen ends up winning the championship, then again it will be weird for the documentary to have the world champion featured in it extensively. This is not the first time something like this has happened as teams like Ferrari and Mercedes boycotted the documentary in its first season in 2018. Many drivers like Verstappen's former teammate Daniel Ricciardo have come out in support of the documentary. There is broad acknowledgment that the documentary has done wonders for the popularity of the sport, the drivers involved, and the teams.
