‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ Is Officially Coming Back for Season 9, and Netflix Promises to Go Deeper than Ever

Few sports documentaries have reshaped their subject quite like ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive.’ Since its 2019 debut, the Netflix series has turned pit-lane politics and paddock gossip into must-watch television, helping fuel a surge in American interest in a sport that once struggled to find a foothold stateside.

That growth hasn’t come without friction. The show has weathered plenty of criticism over the years for leaning into manufactured drama, and after Season 8 arrived in a joint release with Apple TV+ back in February, fans were left wondering whether the cameras would keep rolling at all.

Now there’s an answer. Netflix has officially confirmed that ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ is returning for a ninth season, with the new episodes set to chronicle the chaos of the ongoing 2026 championship when they arrive sometime in 2027.

The renewal ends months of speculation and comes as part of a wider slate of season confirmations from Netflix’s UK content team, alongside returning shows like ‘Being Gordon Ramsay.’ James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin, the Box to Box executive producers who’ve steered the series since day one, are officially back behind the wheel for another run.

“We’re so excited to be making Season 9 of this iconic show,” the pair said in a statement shared with Televisual. They added that this year’s episodes will push further into “the hidden spaces of this fantastic sport” than any previous season has managed.

That promise arrives at an interesting moment for the series. Season 9 will document a 2026 grid defined by major regulation changes to both chassis and power units, plus a title fight that’s already produced one of the sport’s most compelling young storylines: Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli became the youngest championship leader in F1 history this year, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, his own teammate George Russell, and reigning champion Lando Norris of McLaren all chasing him down.

There’s no shortage of off-track material for the producers to mine either. Christian Horner’s sacking from Red Bull last year means Season 9 will be the first installment without one of the show’s most reliably dramatic figures, while Max Verstappen’s future has also been settled heading into the new season. New manufacturers Ford, Audi, and Cadillac entering the grid add another layer for the docuseries to explore.

What’s still missing is a firm release date. Netflix hasn’t locked in an exact premiere, though the show’s history offers a strong hint: Season 7 dropped on March 7, 2025, and Season 8 followed on February 27, 2026, both landing roughly a week before their respective season-opening Grand Prix. If that pattern holds, expect Season 9 to slot into a similar late-February or early-March window in 2027, once F1 finalizes its calendar.

Not every corner of Netflix’s motorsport universe is celebrating, though. The all-female spinoff ‘F1: The Academy’ appears to be sitting this one out, with no indication yet that it’s been renewed alongside its flagship counterpart.

Fan reaction to the Season 9 news has already started rolling in across social media, with plenty of viewers eager to see how the show tackles storylines like the Aston Martin lineup and the shifting balance of power atop the grid. Whether or not longtime “hardcore” fans keep grumbling about the show’s dramatized editing, it’s clear the appetite for more ‘Drive to Survive’ hasn’t slowed down after eight seasons.

For now, fans will have to settle for the rest of the 2026 season unfolding in real time, knowing the Netflix cameras are already rolling behind the scenes to capture it.

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