A teaser for the new Netflix biopic series about Ayrton Senna, the famed racing driver, has just been released.
Senna will consist of six episodes, charting the Formula One winner’s rise to success and tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Gabriel Leone is starring as the titular character, having recently starred in Michael Mann’s Ferrari.
The legendary racing driver won 41 Grands Prix and the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship three times. He sadly died in 1994 when his car crashed into concrete, resulting in severe head injuries. The Brazillian racing driver was pronounced dead a few hours after the initial crash, which had occurred the day after another driver, Roland Ratzenberger, had also died in a crash.
This isn’t the first time Senna’s story has been adapted for the big screen. In 2010, Asif Kapadia made the acclaimed documentary film Senna, which used archival footage to chart his rise and tragic fall. It won two Baftas and a string of other awards, such as accolades from Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.
The director also made Amy, a documentary based on Amy Winehouse’s life. Interestingly, the dramatic adaptation of Senna comes shortly after Sam Taylor-Wood’s recreation of Winehouse’s story in Black to Black. While people have criticised Back to Black for being exploitative, it will be interesting to see if Senna will share the same fate.
The miniseries has been directed by Vicente Amorim and Júlia Rezende, with Gustavo Bragança penning the script. Alongside Leone, Senna stars Matt Mella as Alain Prost, one of his rivals; Kaya Scodelario as a journalist; Alice Wegmann as Senna’s first wife, Lilian Vasconcelos; and Pâmela Tomé as Xuxa, his girlfriend.
The Senna family are said to be involved in the show’s creation. Production has been taken care of by Fabiano Gullane and Caio Gullane. According to Maria Angela de Jesus, Netflix’s director of international productions (via Variety), “Senna started his journey in São Paulo and conquered the world, we are honored to take his inspiring journey to all his fans, wherever they are.”
“Ayrton Senna has a legacy that spans generations and boundaries, and Netflix is proud to take this new look at the man behind the driver to subscribers in more than 190 countries,” she continued.
The series has been in production since 2020, but it is finally ready for release this year, although an official date has not yet been shared.
