With eight seasons and 78 episodes of Drive to Survive now streaming on Netflix, the hit docuseries has fundamentally transformed global interest in Formula 1. Co-Executive Producer Tom Rogers has reflected on the show's history, selecting five standout episodes that define the essence, drama, and behind-the-scenes access of the series.

'Boiling Point' (Season 2, Episode 2) – Guenther Steiner Makes His Mark

Rogers highlighted the infamous episode featuring former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner as a defining moment in the series' storytelling.

“This was Guenther Steiner and the ‘slam my door’ moment, when he completely loses the plot. I think it’s the perfect distillation of Guenther in Drive to Survive,” Rogers explained. “The episode title, Boiling Point, comes from a great moment where he’s in his apartment with his wife, they’re cooking pasta, and the pan keeps bubbling away. The lid is rattling, and he just keeps putting his hand on it to try to stop it from rattling. It’s a great, detailed moment, where that scene reflects the kind of pressure that he’s under in his job at that moment.”

Rogers added that Steiner's authenticity remained consistent: “He claims that he doesn’t watch the show, or that he’s never watched the show. I do actually believe that he hasn’t watched it, because I don’t think he changed over the years he was in the show. I think we got a very authentic version of Guenther, and what you saw is what you get.”

'Dark Days' (Season 2, Episode 4) – Mercedes' Hockenheim Disaster

After opting out of the inaugural season, Mercedes agreed to let Netflix film them during a single race weekend in 2019: the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The race turned out to be a chaotic disaster for the Silver Arrows while celebrating 125 years in motorsport in vintage fancy dress.

“I think as an episode, it’s really fascinating, because Mercedes let us continue filming – they didn’t shut the door, they didn’t try and back out of it,” Rogers said. “Even though it was a disaster, instead of saying, ‘Actually, we’ll give you another race’, they stayed true to it and let us tell that story, which I thought was really brave of them. It made for a great episode.”

'Blood, Sweat & Tears' (Season 2, Episode 9) – Williams' Pre-Season Struggle

Highlighting the monumental engineering challenges behind the grid, Rogers singled out Williams' race against time to make 2019 pre-season testing.

“Hundreds of people are putting their, as the episode title suggests, blood, sweat, and tears into the car’s creation. We shot some great stuff back at the factory,” Rogers remarked, pointing out how factory scenes reveal the immense team effort required in modern motorsport.

'Man On Fire' (Season 3, Episode 9) – Grosjean's Miracle Escape and Emmy Glory

The harrowing Bahrain Grand Prix crash involving Romain Grosjean delivered one of the series' most emotional chapters, while also capturing Sergio Perez's stunning drive from last to first for Racing Point.

“Man on Fire is obviously well remembered for Romain Grosjean’s crash, but I think people forget that it was the story of Checo coming from last place to win the Grand Prix for Racing Point, which was an unbelievable racing story,” Rogers said. “Romain and his wife both then sat in the Netflix chair, which again is unique, because it’s the only time we’ve ever had two people sit in the chair at the same time. Also, it’s the episode that won us our first Emmy.”

'In The Heat of The Night' (Season 7, Episode 7) – The Drivers Take Over

Rogers also praised the seventh season's Singapore GP episode, where drivers provided their own video diaries to offer a raw glimpse into the often-isolated life of an F1 competitor away from the track.

“You get a little bit more of an honest, personal video diary kind of edge to it,” Rogers noted. “Nobody had really seen that side of a race weekend before, the day-to-day of staying in hotels and being away from friends and family all the time. I think the thing that struck me most is that it’s actually quite lonely... Although these guys are swamped by fans, they’re constantly busy and they’re being pulled all over the place, it’s not the same as hanging out with friends or having a private moment. It’s quite a solitary existence.”