The wait is over, Formula One fans — Netflix has dropped the long anticipated season five of “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” chronicling the 2022 season. 

The docuseries is widely credited with F1’s recent boom in popularity, particularly within the United States, as it gives a behind-the-scenes look at a global sport that uses the world as its playground. It captures the on-track action and gives context — of a sort — around the storylines that emerge from the paddock, circuit, and media circus.  2.5 Hp Water Pump

Although Max Verstappen and Red Bull won both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships well before the season was over, 2022 featured plenty of drama, heart-string-tugging moments and swashbuckling overtakes for the show to dig into.

Not that Netflix needs real drama to heighten what happens on screen. The company has taken flak for its use of dramatic license. Esteban Ocon recently said the series inaccurately shows him saying “this was just like a win” after showing him take eighth place in France. “I think I probably said that when we finished fifth in Austria or fourth in Japan, but not when I finish eighth,” he told reporters . Verstappen declined to participate in season four, accusing the show of “faking rivalries” between drivers to dial up the drama.

Still, the behind-the-scenes look helps to fill in the exclusive void that comes with the sport while introducing new fans to F1. It adds another level of depth that tends to go unnoticed when focusing on points and podiums, by delving into the unseen corners of the sport.

With all that in mind, the new season of DTS, which Netflix released Friday, had a tall order to fill with the on-track drama and off-track controversies (looking at you, silly season) that unfolded, but there have been mixed reviews because of notable moments that were overlooked in the 10 episodes. 

Here are our five biggest takeaways from season five. Fair warning: spoilers ahead!

Episode 8, “Alpha Male” focused on AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese driver who has struggled in the last two seasons. (Heading into 2023, he’s tasked with being the veteran of sorts on the team as rookie Nyck de Vries joins the Italy-based team.)

As the episode began with following Tsunoda during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, viewers saw onboard footage of the rain-soaked race — and the dangers that arose because of limited visibility. 

Onboard cameras showed how the drivers practically couldn’t see that Sunday because of the rain and spray from other cars. Sebastian Vettel said over his radio, “Visibility is close to none” while Alex Albon said, “F—— dangerous. Can’t see anything.” Fernando Alonso asked his engineer to “tell me all this info because I cannot see much.” In the next frame, Alonso and Vettel collide out of nowhere. 

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz eventually aquaplaned into a barrier, and Gasly’s car was peppered with advertising board debris. But Netflix didn’t show Gasly’s near-miss with a recovery vehicle on the track, which recalled the crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix that killed Jules Bianchi. Gasly told reporters that Sunday that he was two meters away from it, and the FIA later said the recovery vehicle should not have been deployed yet. The Frenchman, though, was penalized for speeding during the red-flag conditions.

Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu’s scary crash at Silverstone was shown in a dramatic fashion, with a lengthy pause to air other teams’ reactions, before  the outcome (no serious injuries) was revealed, which was similar to how Netflix and Box to Box Films portrayed Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. 

In wake of Zhou’s wreck, F1 instituted changes to the roll hoop for 2023, which broke off Zhou’s car as he skid across the track then rolled over the barriers and into the fence.     

Alongside the on-track battles, there is a whole different game being played in F1’s “piranha club,” the sport’s political landscape and rivalries of the team bosses. As much as it is a technologically-driven sport, political clashes arise frequently. 

Mercedes ’ Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner make up one such rivalry. This year, their clashing centered on the porpoising issue that impacted various teams, especially Mercedes. But as teams were able to address the matter, the Silver Arrows continued to struggle. When Wolff and Horner went at it during a team bosses’ meeting at the Canadian Grand Prix, Netflix was there. 

Wolff wanted changes to all the cars on the grid to excise the cars’ troublesome behavior, and railed against teams that disagreed. “I can tell you that all of you are playing a dangerous game. If a car ends in the wall because it’s too stiff or it’s bottoming out, you are in the s— and I am going to come after you.”

Horner accused Wolff of playing for the cameras and told him, “You’ve got a problem, change your f—— car.” 

Another controversy, over the cost cap, also played out over multiple race weekends.

After the FIA confirmed Red Bull had gone over the spending limit, Horner went from denying the accusation to downplaying what he called a “miscalculation.”

“Benign issues that had nothing to do with car performance. About wellness of staff, about catering,” he said. “The overspend was 0.6 of a percent, $400,000. Really? Has that made the difference?”

One of the more interesting parts of the saga was the behind-the-scenes look Netflix showed during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend, when Horner met with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Red Bull’s rivals, like McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, were fairly vocal in saying breaching the cost cap should result in a punishment. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said to Netflix, “The teams tried to put pressure on the system, because if you don’t respect the rules, you need to receive a penalty.” 

While nothing from the meeting between Horner and Ben Sulayem was shown, the Red Bull team principal’s recap to his team was. “He said, ‘This is it. They want your blood. They all want your blood,’” Horner recounted. He later said to another Red Bull member off-camera, “I’ve never experienced anything like this, but he said, ‘You have no friends. I’m your only friend.’ I said, ‘I don’t need friends.’” 

Ultimately, Red Bull was fined $7 million and lost 10% reduction in aerodynamic testing over a 12-month period. 

It is an understandably difficult task to sift through a nine-month season and pick themes for 10 episodes that last over a half hour. There’s nothing inherently wrong with not highlighting George Russell’s first win, at the São Paulo Grand Prix, or limiting coverage of Kevin Magnussen and Haas ’ first F1 pole. But Netflix also omitted some more important and dramatic happenings, like the radio row controversy between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez. 

Other critical topics were overlooked that, if mentioned, could have helped usher the F1 community into a new era as the audience becomes more diverse. For one, Netflix barely featured Sebastian Vettel, who was in his final season. The highly regarded four-time world champion has long been vocal about causes he cares about, including environmental and human rights issues. He’s worn a ‘Same Love’ Pride shirt at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, hosted a women-only karting event in Saudi Arabia and highlighted different communities’ climate crises. 

Those stances are especially relevant now that the FIA has implemented a rule limiting drivers’ rights to make “political, religious and personal statements or comments” without prior approval from the governing body. (Netflix didn’t cover the new rule, which was added during the latest offseason.)

Netflix also declined to feature various cases of verbal and online abuse. Max Verstappen called out the abuse he and his family received after a controversy in Brazil. Lando Norris said he’s received death threats online and has discussed the hate he and his now ex-girlfriend received. The abuse extended beyond the drivers and teams as people reported on social media the racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+ abuse hurled at some fans during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Vettel and Hamilton were among the drivers who called out the behavior. F1 then launched the ‘Drive It Out’ campaign during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend in July.

Netflix shared plenty of wholesome moments throughout season five, including Gasly and Tsunoda’s rendition of “Hello”  by Adele and a vineyard hangout between Steiner and Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto. 

It also leaned into the traditional arc of storytelling, plainly labeling a villain and rising stars while tipping the hat to whom fans may consider the hero. 

Daniel Ricciardo found himself without a seat at the end of 2022 after he and McLaren “mutually agreed” to part ways. The docuseries shared several details about last year’s chaotic silly season —the period of time where drivers (or even team bosses) play musical chairs to settle the next season’s driver lineup — including Steiner telling Kevin Magnussen how Ricciardo wanted “ten f——- million” to join Haas. 

The sixth episode showcased McLaren’s Zak Brown trying to swap Ricciardo for Alpine’s reserve driver Oscar Piastri. Eventually, Ricciardo went to Red Bull as the team’s third driver, but a complex legal battle unfolded surrounding Piastri. McLaren ultimately won the fight for the driver who “could be the next Max Verstappen,” as Horner called him. Alpine opted to put Gasly in its open seat. 

Elsewhere on the grid, another major silly season mover has embraced being on “the dark side.” Fernando Alonso was one of the key players early to move early on, jumping from Alpine to Aston Martin and filling the vacant seat left by Vettel. Alpine found out about the move via Aston’s press release. 

“Bye bye, I’m still the bad guy,” Alonso said on the show, before walking out of the frame.

(Photo of Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen, and Christian Horner of Red Bull: Netflix)

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12 Volt Battery For Sprayer Pump Price Madeline Coleman is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Formula One. Prior to joining The Athletic, she served as a writer and editor on Sports Illustrated’s breaking and trending news team. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Follow Madeline on Twitter @mwc13_3