Wolff critiques Netflix for bending F1 truth

Mar.8 (GMM) Mere days before the fourth series hits Netflix, Toto Wolff has added one more unflattering endorsement for the official Formula 1 documentary Drive to Survive.

The Mercedes boss admits that by emphasising the “entertainment” aspect of the series, Netflix has helped drive the sport’s rising popularity.

But multiple members of the F1 paddock, including world champion Max Verstappen, have criticised the way the series bends the truth in order to achieve its aims.

Recalling his first exposure to Drive to Survive, Wolff now tells the Irish Independent: “I’m watching this – episode one, episode two – and I hate it.

“I never wanted to have the camera in my face. We gradually grew into this. Suddenly you realise that it has become so big everywhere in the world with new audiences, younger audiences.”

However, he joins those who criticise the series for bending the truth – an opinion shared by most Formula 1 purists around the world.

“You hate to see yourself in there,” Wolff, 50, admitted.

“They create a spin to the narrative. They put scenes together that didn’t happen. I guess you’d say as an insider, well, that’s different than how it was.

“But we’re creating entertainment, and that is a new dimension of entertainment.”