Imagine that you are sitting on the couch, watching the end of a production on streaming. The scene: In a brightly lit environment, which includes Christmas decorations, two men meet and gaze in awe at a trophy. Then the younger one gives a gift to the older one, who reciprocates with an affectionate hug.
Cut to the final scene. The soundtrack gains notes of tension. The camera points to a serious man with impeccable hair, dressed in black, against a dark background. And without moving any more facial muscles than necessary, he says, “Everyone will be a target next year.” Wow, I got goosebumps just thinking about it.
It could be some “Star Wars” spin-off, but it’s the fourth season finale of “Driving for a Living”, the Netflix series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the 2021 F1 season. The happy ending is between Christian Horner, as a good Jedi master, and Max Verstappen, his young Red Bull apprentice. And who plays Darth Vader about to build the new Death Star is, of course, Toto Wolff, the almighty Mercedes.
While the series finale has to replicate the season finale (Verstappen happy, Hamilton depressed, Toto pissed off), “Driving to Live” is far from a simple summary of the year. In ten episodes, the series is not interested in giving a chronological overview of the championship, but rather in exploring (or creating?) some personal dramas or, better, some conflicts.
More than Hamilton and Verstappen, season four’s main characters are Wolff and Horner, the respective team bosses. Between one episode and another, there are great supporting actors, such as the friendly Daniel Ricciardo, the young star George Russell, the lazy newcomer Yuki Tsunoda — at least, that’s how it was recorded — and the walking disaster Nikita Mazepin.
From the very first episode, the series explores the feud between Horner and Wolff. Even in Horner’s conversations with his wife, ex-spice Geri Horner. The personal confrontation was left for the ninth episode, when the two are summoned for a joint interview before the penultimate GP.
“How is the relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes?”, asks a journalist to the two. After a long silence, Horner says, “There’s no relationship, I don’t need to kiss his ass.” Wolff responds by saying that the championship started as an Olympic boxing match, turned professional boxing and ended up as an MMA fight. You can almost think that Netflix is ​​conducting the interview, they must have cried with joy with the answers.
A blockbuster, “Dirir para Viver” has helped to attract the attention of young fans to the category. On the other hand, the pilots themselves are increasingly moving away from the program as they consider it “fake”.
You won’t see isolated interviews of Verstappen because the driver chose not to participate. This year, Lando Norris criticized the series, claimed that the audios do not correspond to what happens on the track, and that the series makes edits out of context just to build a narrative. Welcome to F1-BBB, dear and innocent Lando. Former driver Damon Hill has also criticized the series, claiming it is fueling rivalries in the paddock and in the crowd.
If the show’s fourth season finale had a “Star Wars” feel, with new heroes triumphing and an irate Toto Vader, let’s see if the 2022 season turns into “The Mercedes Empire Strikes Back” on streaming. The start will be this Sunday (20), in the desert scenery of Bahrain. See who will be chosen for the roles of good and bad guys of the year.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
