Where are they now? The stars from Season 1 of 'Drive to Survive'
Cork Gaines
- Netflix just dropped Season 5 of the popular Formula One docuseries "Drive to Survive."
- The show, which started chronicling with the 2018 F1 season, has been credited with increasing the sport's popularity in the US.
- In the 5 years since Season 1, a lot has changed, with many of the stars either no longer in F1 or in far different positions.
Daniel Ricciardo was one of the biggest stars of Season 1.
In 2018, Ricciardo was in his final year with Red Bull and was arguably the biggest star of Season 1. Much of the first season is spent dealing with Ricciardo's decision to join Renault and the tension between him, teammate Max Verstappen, and the rest of the team. Ricciardo finished sixth in the drivers' standings that season, winning two races.
Ricciardo is now back with Red Bull, but in a different role.
After leaving Red Bull, Ricciardo spent two years with Renault and two years with McLaren. Now, he is back with Red Bull but in a much different role. He is a reserve driver, whose biggest role will likely be in using his popularity as a marketing tool.
Romain Grosjean was a struggling veteran driver for Haas.
Grosjean was in his ninth F1 season and third with Haas. He was the primary focus of Episode 7 as he was struggling, and team principal Guenther Steiner was weighing the French driver's future with the team. Grosjean finished 14th in the 2018 standings but was much better in the second half of the year, scoring points in seven of the final 13 races.
Grosjean is now racing in North America.
Grosjean would return to Haas for two more seasons. He is now about to start his third season in the North American IndyCar series, where he has yet to win a race but has finished runner-up three times.
Claire Williams carried the weight of her father's struggling race team.
Williams was the deputy team principal of the Williams F1 team. As the daughter of team founder Sir Frank Williams, Season 1 spent time focusing on the team's struggles at the bottom of the grid. They finished in 10th place that season, scoring points in just two races.
Williams is now back at Williams, but not the F1 team.
Williams stepped down from the team during the 2020 season. In addition to public speaking, she is now a brand ambassador for Williams Advanced Engineering, an offshoot of the Williams F1 team. WAE is tasked with using the team's expertise in other industries.
Cyril Abiteboul was another popular star of Season 1.
As Renault Sport F1's managing director, Abiteboul was in his 18th season in F1. The team finished fourth, well behind the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull, but did beat out Haas for the coveted title of "Best of the Rest."
Abiteboul is now a team principal in the World Rally Championship.
After a stint as an advisor for F2 engine supplier Mecachrome, Abiteboul was recently introduced as the team principal for Hyundai's team in the World Rally Championship.
Carlos Sainz Jr. was struggling in the shadow of his father and Fernando Alonso.
In 2018, Sainz was in his fourth F1 season and first full season with Renault. The season spends time focusing on how Sainz deals with being in the shadow of his dad, a former racing champion, and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso. Later in the season, we learned that Sainz is losing his ride at Renault, after the team signed Daniel Ricciardo, but he later lands with McLaren. Sainz finished 10th in the 2018 season but was ahead of Alonso.
Sainz now has helped Ferrari become title contenders.
After two seasons with McLaren, Sainz moved on to Ferrari, where he has been the past two seasons. In 2022, Sainz helped Ferrari to a second-place finish in the constructors' standings, finishing fifth among the drivers and winning the British Grand Prix.
Niko Hülkenberg was not friends with Kevin Magnussen.
Longtime F1 driver Hulkenberg was in his second season with Renault. One episode of Season 1 focused on his rivalry with Kevin Magnussen of Haas. Hulkenberg finished 2018 in seventh place, two spots ahead of K-Mag.
Hülkenberg is now Magnussen's teammate at Haas.
Hulkenberg left Renault following the 2019 season and then spent two years as a reserve driver, for Racing Point in 2020 and Aston Martin in 2022. Somewhat ironically, he is now back on the grid, as Kevin Magnussen's teammate at Haas. The pair have seemingly put their rivalry behind them.
Vijay Mallya was the controversial owner of the Racing Point Force India team.
Mallya was seemingly living a kid's dream as co-owner and team principal of the Racing Point Force India team. However, during the 2018 season, he found himself in controversy when his Kingfisher Airline collapsed, and he fled to the UK to avoid creditors. In the middle of the season, Indian authorities started seizing his assets and were trying to get him extradited.
Mallya is now considered a 'fugitive economic offender.'
Esteban Ocon's future was a talking point in Season 1.
Ocon was in his second full F1 season with Racing Point. His future in the sport was one of the Season 1 storylines when Racing Point signed Lance Stroll to replace Ocon in 2019. That left Ocon without a seat the following year.
He is now back in pink
After spending one season as a Mercedes reserve driver, Ocon was back on the grid in 2020 with Renault before moving to Alpine. In 2022, he tied his career-best season with an eighth-place finish in the standings. For the 2023 season, his new teammate will be fellow French driver and former rival Pierre Gasly.
Sergio Pérez was fighting to keep his seat.
In 2018, Perez was in his eighth F1 season and fifth with Force India. Perez finished eighth in the standings, four spots ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon, helping Checo keep his seat ahead of Ocon with the addition of Lance Stroll.
Perez is now a championship contender.
Perez is about to start his third season with Red Bull as Max Verstappen's teammate. Finishing third in the 2022 season, the best finish of his career, with two race wins, Perez is adamant he can still win an F1 championship with Red Bull despite driving in the shadow of Verstappen. However, with the obvious tension between the two drivers and the recent signing of Daniel Ricciardo as a reserve driver, there is some speculation about Perez's future and whether it might lie elsewhere.
Pierre Gasly was a rookie with Torro Rosso.
Gasly was a rookie in 2018 with Red Bull's sister team, Torro Rosso, and a major focus of Episode 8. During the episode, we learned that Gasly would replace Daniel Ricciardo on Red Bull's A Team in 2019.
Gasly is now with Alpine.
Gasly was demoted back to Torro Rosso midway through the 2019 season and stayed there for the next three seasons (now known as AlphaTauri). This year he is making the move to Alpine, where he will be partnered with longtime rival Esteban Ocon.
Charles Leclerc was a rookie with Alfa Romeo.
After two seasons as a reserve driver, Leclerc was making his F1 debut in 2018 with Alfa Romeo. He finished 13th in the standings, and his time with the team would be short. His dream of racing for Ferrari and signing with them for the 2019 season is a plot line in Season 1.
Leclerc is now a championship contender for Ferrari.
Leclerc is heading into his fifth season with Ferrari and is considered the strongest contender to challenge for Max Verstappen's crown. In 2022, he finished second in the standings, winning three races.
Kimi Räikkönen's move opened the door for Charles Leclerc.
The former F1 champ was nearing the end of his storied career, finishing third that season and winning one race. This was his eighth and final year with Ferrari, as it was announced during the season that he would be leaving, opening the door for Charles Leclerc to join the Prancing Horse.
Räikkönen is now retired from racing most of the time.
Kimi retired following the 2021 season but did take part in one NASCAR race during the 2022 season, finishing 37th at the Watkins Glen road race. After retiring, he was named the team principal for Kawasaki Racing in motocross.
Marcus Ericsson was in his final season on the F1 grid with Alfa Romeo.
Ericsson finished 17th in the standings, and his future with the team was a minor storyline in one episode. Alfa Romeo said they would not renew his contract.
Ericsson is now an Indianapolis 500 champion.
After one season as an F1 reserve driver, Ericsson moved on to IndyCar, where he has won three races, including the 2022 Indianapolis 500.
Fernando Alonso was supposed to be in his final season.
The two-time F1 champ announced during the 2018 season that he was retiring from F1, which was a storyline during the final episode of Season 1. That opened the door for then-F2 driver Lando Norris to jump to F1 with McLaren.
Alonso is now back in F1 but with a new team.
After retiring from F1 in 2018, Alonso dipped his toes in several other racing series, including sportscar, endurance, rally, and even IndyCar. In 2021, he ended his F1 retirement and joined Alpine. He kicked off the 2022 silly season with his surprise announcement that he was leaving Alpine at the end of the year and replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.
Max Verstappen was in a different spot of his career.
Of course, Verstappen has not moved on, but he is in a different role now, so to speak. In 2018, he was still looking for his first championship.
Verstappen is now the most dominant driver on the grid.
Verstappen is now a two-time champion and a heavy favorite to win his third title in a row.
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