Netflix comes up with a new trick every time its position at the top is threatened by factors beyond its control – like F1 dropping Daniel Ricciardo in the middle of the 2024 Grand Prix season. Considering how the Aussie has been the fan-favorite in Drive to Survive and the show’s de facto protagonist, it was understandable for Netflix to begin scouring the field for its next star.
However, Season 7 brings many surprises – in good ways and bad. Multiple new drivers and team principals have entered the grid, making Drive to Survive‘s latest season seem like a badly recast show with new faces filling in for the old favorites. The new players are also deemed an interesting project for Netflix as they get categorized as heroes and villains from the get-go.
3 Drive to Survive characters to root for in Season 7
As Netflix launches the seventh season of Drive to Survive, it’s time to say goodbye to a few long-time fan-favorites like Daniel Ricciardo and welcome complete newcomers like Jack Doohan. And in the absence of the Honey Badger, it becomes imperative for Netflix to quickly fill that vacuum with a character that the fans can equally love, adore, and root for in Season 7.
This is where James Vowles comes in. The Williams team principal, who became a social media meme sensation due to the “Valtteri, it’s James” radio messages, is now being primed and molded to take over for Ricciardo. Upon closer inspection, Vowles seems to have it all – goofy charm, dry humor, affable personality, and, to top it all off, a good head of hair.
Vowles’s pursuit of the former Ferrari favorite, Carlos Sainz, is also a major focus of Drive to Survive Season 7, as the Williams team principal swoops in to save the day and immediately takes his spot as an audience favorite.
Among the drivers, Lando Norris is easily the best bet on the track, given his rapid rise in 2024. Norris not only won his first Grand Prix in Miami but put up a good fight against reigning champion Max Verstappen and helped win McLaren their first championship title in 26 years. The Brit’s cheery demeanor makes him an easy-to-like protagonist in Drive to Survive Season 7, especially when pitted against Mad Max.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc is the MVP of the 2024 Grand Prix season, winning not only in Ferrari’s native country, Italy, where the brand is treated as religion, but also in his hometown of Monaco. The latter is a beautifully told, self-contained episode that perfectly captures the overwhelming emotions, coupled with the historical record of being the first Monégasque driver to win the race since the advent of F1 – and that iconic Alex Jacques commentary.
3 Drive to Survive characters to hate in Season 7
It wouldn’t be Drive to Survive without some villains rolling around in the mix to create some unnecessary tension and drama on and off the tracks. Season 7 offers up too many of those, but Alpine’s new executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, is easily the most antagonistic of the lot as he flaunts his wealth, calls Esteban Ocon a spoiled brat, terrorizes newcomer Jack Doohan, and declares his plans of saving the team by being a “democratic dictator.”
Next in line is Mercedes’s George Russell, who the Drive to Survive Season 7 crew seems to have taken an extra dislike to. At every turn, Russell is painted as the petty villain who gets off by simply being a nuisance to others. His childish enthusiasm before meeting Donald Trump at the Miami Grand Prix deserves a special mention.
Christian Horner, although not a cut-and-dry villain of the season, was an easy target for the Netflix crew due to his scandalous entry into the 2024 season. The s*xual harassment allegations and the month-long investigation are all but ignored in Drive to Survive Season 7, but the Red Bull team principal is still a tough nut to crack in the audience’s eyes.
Drive to Survive Season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.
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