Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has said that he has managed to strike a deal with the producers of Netflix’s Drive to Survive F1 TV series, meaning the Red Bull driver will have a slightly bigger presence in season five, which is currently being filmed.

Last year, Max Verstappen revealed that he no longer wished to appear on camera in the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive, partly because he felt that the producers had created rivalries that did not exist in real life. The Dutchman refused to give interviews to the Netflix film crew throughout the 2021 campaign, which saw him become Formula One world champion for the first time in his career.

Speaking again on the eve of the 2022 British Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver said he had reached some sort of agreement with the producers of Drive to Survive, meaning he will be “a little bit more” present in season five, which is currently being filmed in the F1 paddock.

“I’m not going to be too negative about it now because at the same time I’m talking to the people in charge of the show. I think we understand each other for the future,” said Max Verstappen on the Pardon My Take podcast.

“Up until now I wasn’t really involved, there were a few things I wasn’t happy with especially the false rivalries between the drivers. They represented some of the riders differently to what they are. And so people who are new to F1 will think, ‘Oh this guy’s a bit of a dick’ when he’s not in real life.”

“But as I said, we have come to understand each other to work together in the future. So I’m sure for the next few [episodes] you’ll see a bit more of me.”