Ricciardo’s brutal demise revealed in Drive to Survive

Speedcafe was afforded early access to Season 7 of the series, which is set to be publicly released on Friday.

Episode eight focuses on the tumultuous fortunes of Ricciardo, Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson.

It portrays the brutality of the Red Bull system while capturing the pressures, motives, and desires of all the key players.

That includes team boss Christian Horner as he wrestles with the problem created by Perez’s failure to perform.

While glossing over much of the nuance of the decision, it paints Ricciardo as Perez’s main rival for the seat alongside Max Verstappen at the senior team.

In doing so, the episode tracks the Australian’s transformation from being confident and optimistic to struggling to accept the inevitable conclusion to the story.

Conversely, the following episode detailing the ebbs and flows of Haas and Alpine fails to hit the mark.

It attempts to play Flavio Briatore off against the beleaguered Esteban Ocon while creating rivalry between the two teams against the backdrop of their battle for sixth in the constructors’ championship.

Jack Doohan makes an appearance in the episode, used in many respects as a means of ramping up the pressure on Ocon, but it does make for some interesting viewing as the young Australian meets with Briatore.

There’s also a unique behind-the-scenes look at the Singapore Grand Prix through the eyes of George Russell, Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, and Pierre Gasly while exploring the relationship between the quintet.

On the whole, however, the episode misses the mark as it fails to draw the viewer into investing in Ocon or Briatore – who, in many respects, is painted as a pantomime villain.

Other episodes centre on the drama at Red Bull as the season started, Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari and the subsequent turmoil that creates for Carlos Sainz.

The series manages to capture the key moments and recount the major stories in a fair manner, even if exaggerated for effect in places.

With contributions from Will Buxton and ex-Williams team boss Claire Williams, the series again does a reasonable job of selling Formula 1 to the casual observer.