Formula 1: Drive to Survive - Season 6

Last year's season of Formula 1, the world's fastest motorsport, was perhaps not the most exciting of seasons. Absolute, ruthless domination by Red Bull and Max Verstappen took the edge off the excitement and left little doubt as to what the end result would be. Even for an committed F1 nerd like myself, it was at times difficult to maintain interest. The contrasts with the undulating battle between the Dutchman and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton a few years ago could not have been greater.

But in the wake of a seemingly uninteresting season, Netflix's popular long-running series Drive to Survive has been forced back to its roots. Gone are the questionable edits and audio recordings taken completely out of context. Yes, overall, the treatment of the source material is more truthful this time around, and once again gives us that wonderful "fly on the wall" feeling. In short, what has always been the greatest strength of Drive to Survive, where we are invited to participate behind closed doors.

As in the past, the Netflix team serves up 10 sizzling episodes, which for the show's die-hard fans will undoubtedly be appreciated on the same level as the previous five seasons. The sense of getting a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's most restrictive and secretive sports is still as compelling now as it was when the show first premiered. However, there's also no denying that some aspects are starting to feel repetitive, with many sequences and scenes carrying a strong sense of deja vu.

Because even though this sixth season of Drive to Survive starts off well, with a trio of engaging and genuinely interesting episodes - even for us dedicated F1 nerds with an intimate knowledge of the sport, I quickly found myself losing interest as the season continued. Not least during the centre of the series and towards the end. For Guenther Steiner and Haas are always interesting, but to once again hear the team manager describe how bad they are in a conversation with its American owners is a bit passé. Although you can see how they want to milk the charismatic leader one last time, while they have the chance.

Despite the repetition and painfully directed staging, however, this sixth season of Drive to Survive also gets a lot right. The clear decision to shift the focus away from Max Verstappen's dominance is a thankful one, and instead spend time on the smaller but not insignificant moments that took place during the year. Liam Lawson's sudden and very successful appearance is one of these, as is the ever-charming Daniel Ricciardo and his struggle back to Formula 1 after his disastrous time with McLaren.

Similarly, there are a lot of positives to be taken from the story of the two arch-rivals Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, a strangely difficult dynamic that we also see negatively impacting the team as a whole. Still, I personally think that two episodes dedicated to Alpine were a bit much. Also, it's worth highlighting the time devoted to Mercedes, Hamilton, and team boss Toto Wolff - although that particular episode has aged rather badly given the news that the seven-time world champion will drive for Ferrari from next year.

But no matter how I look at it, I can't shake the feeling that the series is currently treading water. The production team has fallen into a clear rhythm and they obviously know what they want, but it also results in more of the same. Yes, the production value is still in a class of its own and the set-up is incredibly digestible and easy to consume. However, the wow factor has long since disappeared and in all honesty, it's hard to mentally separate this year's season from previous ones.

Perhaps Netflix and the series creators are content with that, after all, Drive to Survive has managed to maintain a strong popularity over the years and is always seen as one of the biggest highlights for the streaming service when a new season lands. They know what works and fan favourites are allowed their time in the spotlight. But I would have liked to see fresher efforts, and maybe that's exactly what we'll get next year with several major changes in the sport, Steiner's departure and Hamilton's move to Ferrari just to name a few.

This year's season may have its imperfections and problems, it's far from perfect and the show's best-before date has, in all honesty, passed. But as easy-to-consume entertainment, Drive to Survive is still brilliant and even for devoted fans of the sport there are plenty of enjoyable moments to both laugh and be fascinated by.