Max Verstappen Rips Netflix's F1 'Drive to Survive' Series for Lando Norris Portrayal

Max Verstappen is unhappy with Netflix's popular Formula 1: Drive to Survive series. 

Speaking to reporters Friday ahead of this weekend's race in Saudi Arabia, the reigning world champion sounded off about how McLaren driver Lando Norris is portrayed on the show. 

"For me personally, what I didn’t like, and it isn’t even about me, it’s about Lando and Daniel [Ricciardo, his former teammate], which I think are two great guys and are really nice, first of all, and it made it look like Lando was a bit of a d--k, which he isn’t at all," the Red Bull driver said. 

Verstappen added that Norris has "great character and actually when you look at that episode you really think 'who is this guy, what the hell is going on.'"

Several F1 drivers have spoken about how the producers edit the series to manufacture drama that doesn't actually exist. 

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently told Italian news outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Hannah Prydderch of WTF1.com) talks are ongoing between Netflix, drivers and teams to cut back on the drama so that some of the biggest stars in the sport feel comfortable taking part in the series. 

"It is to be understood that the dramatization is part of the path to ignite interest, but in this sense there are themes that need to be redefined," Domenicali said. "If a driver refuses to participate because he is not being presented as he wants, we will talk about it constructively. Tell us how you want to be presented and we’ll find a way’."

Verstappen told Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press in October he stopped participating in the series because of the liberties that producers were taking with creating fake rivalries between drivers and faking "a lot of stuff."

The series premiered in 2019 and each season covers the previous year on the Formula 1 circuit. The 10-episode fourth season dropped March 11 and primarily centers on the Dutchman's battle with Lewis Hamilton for the drivers' championship.