Why Verstappen won't change his mind about Netflix's Drive To Survive

Max Verstappen says he will only watch the new season of F1 documentary Drive To Survive to "see how over the top it is" after he refused to change his mind about the hit Netflix series.

The F1 World Champion has been a frequent critic of the docu-series that is granted unprecedented access behind the scenes at each and every Formula 1 event.

Verstappen criticised the filmmakers for "faking a rivalry" between himself and former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo during an earlier season and has since taken the decision not to be involved in its creation.

On Friday (11 March), the series returns for its fourth season, this time to tell the story of the year that saw Verstappen win his maiden World Championship title.

Verstappen: I won't change my mind

Verstappen will watch the new series, he says, but only to see how "over the top" it is and how his triumph over Lewis Hamilton is covered.

"I won't change my mind [about appearing in it]," said Verstappen, speaking to members of the media that included RacingNews365.com. "I think that was already ruined up to season one.

"I think I'm quite a down-to-earth guy. I just want it to be facts – just don't hype it up. I understand because it needs to be laid out for Netflix, people like that. That's with every series on there as well, or documentary, or whatever you call it.

"It's just not my thing. I'll probably watch it and see how nicely over the top it is and then I'll just continue with my life and I'll probably watch some other documentaries on Netflix."