'F1 Drive to Survive' season 3, episode 2 review: Toto Wolff vs. Christian Horner

The revised Formula 1 calendar has been released and teams are finally back to work after almost three months in lockdown. Episode 2 of the Netflix series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" brings us to the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, after what was supposed to be the first race in Australia was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Everyone is just grateful to be back racing after ten weeks in lockdown. It took a lot of effort to get the season going again, and the entire grid is simply hopeful that Mercedes is more vulnerable compared to the previous season.

It's an entirely different scenario at the Red Bull Ring with everyone wearing masks. There are temperature checks and swab tests, but one of the biggest changes is that there are no spectators in the stands. However, the important thing is that the season is finally underway.

The episode then shines the light on the rivalry between "frenemies" Christian Horner (Red Bull team principal) and Toto Wolff (Mercedes team principal). The pair could be seen greeting each other cordially, but both acknowledge the heated rivalry between then, coupled with massive respect.

It was great to see Horner speaking to Wolff in person ahead of his protest on the Mercedes DAS system. They are intense rivals but the level of respect was very evident, and seeing them being man enough to fight face to face was a great treat for fans.

In the end, the FIA deemed DAS to be legal, and Horner knows that he looks like a crybaby for the complaint. However, he makes it clear that he intends to use every tactic available to win, and Wolff knows it.

Incidentally, the Red Bull ring is obviously the home race for Horner's team, but Wolff is Austrian, making the opening GP also feel like a home race to him.

Everyone knows that Red Bull dominated F1 for four years with Sebastian Vettel before Mercedes strung together seven (at that time six) consecutive titles. Horner believes that Max Verstappen will bring the championship back to Red Bull, with Alex Albon right up there to help him.

Unfortunately for Red Bull, Verstappen's car stalled right when he was in a position to potentially win the race. Albon also missed out on his first podium, after yet another collision with Hamilton as the Red Bull was trying to get past. That was also an indication of how the rest of Albon's doomed season will go.

It's the opening race and it's nice to see all the drivers and team principals all starry-eyed at what could be achieved in the coming months. Because viewers already know that Mercedes will eventually dominate, it was refreshing to see glimpses of how the midfield went about their season. Particularly, this episode highlighted Lando Norris and his first F1 podium, which came after a thrilling flying lap as he fought to get within 5 seconds of Lewis Hamilton.

Overall, Albon's heartbreak is clearly being set-up in this episode, alongside Verstappen's futile but spirited effort to catch Hamilton.