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The F1 docuseries Drive to Survive has become a phenomenon since its inception. The series has brought in fans who were not really interested in F1 before. In many ways, that's one of the bigger accomplishments of the series, as it has helped the sport crack the American market.
Now, the latest iteration of the series is about to be released soon. Keeping that in mind, every F1 fan will have expectations from the series and the parts of the 2022 season that it covers.
Every F1 fan definitely has a wishlist for the part of the season that's covered, especially the behind-the-scenes footage, which is often inaccessible. What would that wishlist include? Let's take a look at five of them:
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#1 Sebastian Vettel's retirement given its due
A Sebastian Vettel fan's biggest complaint from the media has often been the German not getting his due.
Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season as a four-time world champion. His records and achievements make him one of the five most successful drivers in the sport's history. However, there's often this sentiment that the driver tends to not get the due because of his more reserved nature.
The German got a richly deserved farewell last season in the paddock, and it would be remiss not to see him much in the docuseries.
#2 Porpoising debate at Baku
The porpoising/bouncing debate reached its zenith at Baku last season when multiple drivers complained about having lower back issues. The track was quite bumpy, and the stiff suspensions of the cars left drivers in pain.
Arguably one of the more significant moments was watching Lewis Hamilton struggling to get out of his car after the race. The Mercedes driver was in so much pain that he had to really struggle to get out of the car.
The porpoising debate was at its peak at this moment, as Red Bull. a team that did not face these issues, was against making any changes. Mercedes, a team struggling with the bouncing effect, was one of the more vocal advocates of change. It will be interesting to see if the two bosses - Toto Wolff and Christian Horner - clashed behind closed doors.
#3 Cost Cap saga
The cost cap saga was full of conspiracies and leaks. It saw Red Bull breaching the cost cap threshold for the 2021 F1 season, and as a result, got a penalty for the 2023 season.
However, the saga stretched for almost a month. It started with German and Italian publications claiming that Red Bull had breached the cost cap. That continued with Toto Wolff passing statements over how it was an open secret in the paddock that Red Bull had breached the cost cap.
The saga had Christian Horner going on an offensive against everyone. It had the FIA coming out in a worse light with every new leak from the organization to the press. It will be very interesting to see what happened behind the scenes when so much was going on in the public domain.
#4 F1 drivers' protest in Saudi Arabia
It's almost forgotten that the second race of the 2022 F1 season was almost canceled. The Aramco facility, a few kilometers from the track, was blown up by a missile attack while the Free Practice session continued.
After the attack, drivers were unsure if continuing the race weekend and going ahead was the right thing to do.
There were legitimate safety concerns that not only the drivers but even the other paddock members had.
Notably, Ralf Schumacher, representing Sky Sports Germany at the time, left the country on Saturday. Drivers, though, ended up having a long chat with the organizers in a late-night discussion that included the team principals.
How did the drivers feel at the time? Were their concerns addressed? It would be worth watching what happened during that race weekend.
#5 Red Bull-Sky Sports boycott
Max Verstappen's decision to decline all press obligations for Sky Sports was major news at the time. There were a few complaints of the apparent 'British bias' in the coverage of the broadcaster and even in comments made by them.
The 2022 F1 Mexican GP saw Red Bull make it clear that they were boycotting any media obligations with Sky Sports.
That led to a lot of backlash in the British media for Red Bull, but it will be interesting to see what was said behind the scenes, as there's obviously more than what meets the eye when it comes to such things.
