Drive to Survive: Where are the early stars of Netflix’s F1 show now?

The Formula 1 documentary series Drive to Survive, now airing its fifth season on Netflix, has delivered plenty of drama and characters over the years.

The show has generated a lot of excitement around the sport with more fans than ever showing up for the races and watching from home.

With Drive to Survive’s debut season covering the events of 2018, a lot has happened on and off the track since then.

The Sporting News takes a look at some notable names from the show’s previous seasons and where they are now.

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Daniel Ricciardo

The Australian starred in Drive to Survive’s very first episode and has been a regular on the series ever since.

However, Ricciardo will likely take a back seat for season six due to his new role.

After parting ways with McLaren in late 2022, Ricciardo returned to Red Bull in 2023 but as their third driver so there’s unlikely to be much action to be seen.

Romain Grosjean

In 2020, Grosjean was involved in a violent crash while competing in the Bahrain GP and although he avoided a serious injury, he would never drive in F1 again.

The crash was covered extensively in Drive to Survive’s Season 3 episode “Man On Fire”.

The 36-year-old switched to the IndyCar series in 2021 and last raced for Andretti Autosport in 2022.

Pierre Gasli

Gasly’s tumultuous F1 journey has been well documented in Drive to Survive, with the Frenchman being demoted at Red Bull in 2019.

However, the 27-year-old has gained a foothold in the sport and, after three years at AlphaTauri, has secured a move to the competitive alpine racing team for 2023.

Clare Williams

Drive to Survive fans couldn’t help but sympathize with Williams, who appeared as deputy team principal for the Williams Formula One racing team during the show’s early seasons.

As the daughter of Sir Frank Williams, who founded the team, she has never been passionate, but she has endured a difficult time for her.

Claire left her position at Williams in 2020 but recently became a brand ambassador for WAE Technologies, part of the Williams company.

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Markus Ericsson

The Swede made a brief appearance in the first season driving for Alfa Romeo Sauber alongside future Ferrari star Charles Leclerc.

Ericsson would switch from Formula 1 to IndyCar in 2019 and dramatically win the Indianapolis 500 in 2022.

He remains a competitive racer in the sport and will represent Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023.

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel, an F1 icon, has featured in every drive-to-survive season so far but is likely to be absent in the future.

The German announced his retirement from the sport in July 2022 and is staying away from the start for the time being despite rumors of a possible shock return with Aston Martin.