Formula 1: Drive to Survive returns, with the cooperation of the world champion

The fifth season of Netflix acclaimed Formula 1: drive to survive documentary premieres on February 24, and this trailer cuts to the chase immediately: two-time World Drivers’ Championship winner Max Verstappen is back in the interview chair, cooperating with the show’s producers.

Verstappen did quietly boycotted the Netflix series over its final three seasons, feeling that the first year didn’t properly showcase him or his team. (Her boss Christian Horner, husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, handled all public relations in her absence.) As they say, though, winning cures just about anything. Coming off his second straight world title, the 25-year-old Belgian-Dutch wonderkid looks a bit more secure in his place in F1no matter what the Netflix filmmakers do or say.

Formula 1: drive to survive will recap a solid year for the sport, which has surged in popularity in the United States over the past five years. Last year, a new set of building regulations completely overhauled the look and aerodynamic performance of F1 cars.

Coupled with research and development spending limits (which Red Bull violated anyway), the new rules aimed to bring parity to a sport dominated by Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari for most of the past decade. And yet, these same three teams have always taken all but one of the podium places (Lando Norris of McLaren finished third at Imola).

So despite the fact that Verstappen rubbed shoulders with a lopsided World Championship, there should still be plenty of tasty paddock intrigue, and archived commentary from fan favorites like Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, and bitter sourpusses like Otmar Szafnauer, now head of Alpine/Renault. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda is also sure to deliver a steady stream of racing radio invective.