F1 Is Back, Starting With Netflix’s Drive to Survive on Friday

by Roy Brindley, 24 February 2026

Formula 1 is set to slip into gear starting with the release of Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ on Friday.

George Russell appears sure to feature heavily in the new series of ‘Drive to Survive’ and the F1 2026 season. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• Series 8 of Netflix’s F1 docuseries, ‘Drive to Survive’, premieres on Friday.
• F1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix is less than two weeks away.
• Ferrari has set the pace in testing, but pundits and bookies favour Mercedes.
• The 24-race Formula 1 season will arrive in Europe in early June.

Season 8 of the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ will debut on Friday. The ten-part show will cover the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, with behind-the-scenes access to teams, drivers and key moments from the campaign which went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

The timing is ideal for the sport. Pre-season testing ended on Friday, and the new F1 season starts on March 8 in Melbourne, Australia. While the last campaign was exciting – with three drivers vying for the World Championship heading into the final race – the 2026 season has the potential to deliver even more.

A new set of regulations will almost certainly shuffle the sport’s established pecking order. There is a new team on the starting grid and a fresh-faced rookie. 18-year-old Arvid Anand Olof Lindblad, with a Swedish father and Indian mother, claims British status having been born in Surrey, and will drive for the Racing Bulls team.

What Are the Changes to F1 Cars?

2026 F1 cars are shorter, narrower and lighter than their counterparts. The ability to harvest energy from exhaust heat has been removed, and the amount of energy generated from braking is significantly increased. Active aerodynamics – front and rear wing elements that automatically open on straights – replace drag reduction systems.

Drivers can use a new ‘overtake mode’ – a temporary extra electrical power boost when within one second of the car ahead – to help pass rival cars. There is also a ‘boost mode’ that allows drivers to deploy extra hybrid power anywhere on the track. The goal is to create closer racing while making cars cleaner and more sustainable.

How Do Bookmakers View the Coming F1 Season?

In theory, F1 in 2026 should be as exciting as 2025, when seven teams claimed at least one podium finish. However, three tests incorporating 11 days of running suggested Ferrari has a car that is almost a second per lap ahead of its rivals.

Tests and races are two very different animals, and while Ferrari did set the fastest time at the final test session in Bahrain, many pundits suspect that the Mercedes team has significant pace in hand. All experts agree that Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull constitute the top four teams, while Aston Martin ranks bottom.

Britain’s leading online betting sites are amongst those that believe Mercedes has been sandbagging during testing, and Ferrari has already shown its full hand. Consequently, in the World Constructors’ Championship betting, the German team is the 6/4 favourite.

It is McLaren that trades as the second favourite at 11/4. The team is followed by Ferrari (7/2) and Red Bull (7/1) in the World Constructors’ Championship betting lists. unsurprisingly, it is Mercedes driver, George Russell, who is favoured to win the Drivers’ Championship. The Brit is quoted on 9/4.

However, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen follows in the Drivers’ Championship betting on 10/3. The odds suggest he is expected to win the bulk of his team’s points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are 11/2 and 7/1 respectively, while reigning world champion, Lando Norris, gets a 10/1 quote from Coral bookmakers.

Key Race Dates and How to Watch

The 2026 Formula 1 season, which officially begins with two days of practice ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on March 6, consists of 24 races. Other early race dates are: China (March 16), Japan (March 29), Bahrain (April 12) and Saudi Arabia (April 19).

Europe’s first 2026 F1 race is the Monaco Grand Prix on June 7. The sport will remain in Europe for nine races before heading to the 17th round of the championship in Azerbaijan on September 26.

The final three races of the season will be staged at Las Vegas (November 21), Qatar (November 29) and the United Arab Emirates (December 6). Sky Sports has the exclusive broadcast rights to all races for British and Irish audiences and will televise all practice sessions, qualifying, and races live.