Netflix’s latest motorsport documentary, Driven: The Kimi Räikkönen Story, tears into the legend of one of Formula 1’s most enigmatic figures with a level of honesty and grit rarely seen in sports storytelling. Clocking in as a character-driven portrait rather than a highlight reel, the film digs beneath the ice-cool exterior that earned Räikkönen his iconic nickname, “The Iceman.”
Over 20 years in F1, Räikkönen became known for his monosyllabic humour, quiet confidence, and the uncanny ability to perform under pressure. But this documentary goes deeper exploring the man who often preferred silence over spectacle. Through candid interviews with Räikkönen, his family, longtime friends, and former teammates, Netflix reveals the private battles, insecurities, and motivations that shaped the 2007 World Champion. His rise from a modest upbringing in Espoo, Finland, to the very peak of world motorsport is recounted with emotional weight and surprising vulnerability.
The film traces Räikkönen’s most defining chapters: his explosive debut with Sauber, the near-misses at McLaren, his turbulent but ultimately triumphant Ferrari years, and his later reinvention as a cult hero at Alfa Romeo. What emerges is a portrait of a driver who always raced on his own terms uninterested in politics, fame, or narratives crafted by others.
Visually, Driven leans into atmospheric cinematography and raw archival footage, creating an immersive contrast between the violent speed of Formula 1 and the calm, private world Räikkönen fiercely protects. His unfiltered voice, dry, blunt, and unexpectedly philosophical threads through the entire production.
What Netflix delivers is more than a motorsport documentary. It’s a rare, riveting look at a man who spent his career outrunning labels while living life at full throttle, quietly rewriting what it means to be a champion.
