Written by Owen Bradley and Meghana Sree
Netflix's Senna hit the streaming service at the end of November. The miniseries is a recreation and retelling of three-time Formula One World Champion, Ayrton Senna's life and journey into Formula One, and explores the Brazilian icon's relationships with many people both in and out of the racing world. With the Christmas break coming up and people searching for entertainment, this article will answer the question: Is this series worth watching?
The series starts off with Ayrton Senna, played by Gabriel Leone, driving the Imola circuit in 1994, followed by a flashback sequence to 1964, where a young Senna is seen running around school and pretending to be a racing driver. Within the first ten minutes, we jump from a four-year-old Senna, to a more experienced 19-year-old, who had just finished as runner-up in the Karting World Championship.
We then move to a discussion between Senna and his father, Milton. They speak about Senna's desire to move to the UK in order to race in the Formula Ford. Despite Milton's attempts at persuading his son to stay in Brazil for honest work and studying, eventually the pair agree that Senna is to have one year in the UK, and must then return to Brazil.
Senna then has a similar discussion with his girlfriend, Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza. Lilian says that she is willing to follow him to the UK as he pursues his racing career further. Again, similarly to the discussion with Milton, these conversations add an extra layer of depth to Senna, especially for fans of the documentary from over a decade ago, which tried to condense Senna's life and story into a relatively short amount of time, something that the six-episode series has no trouble with.
Scenes such as this make the characters feel much more realistic and this is also an element that was left untouched entirely throughout the award-winning 2010 documentary: Senna, by Asif Kapadia. Where the 2010 documentary jumps almost immediately into Formula One, this docudrama spends the first half of the series exploring Senna's life before F1, and the young Brazilian's difficult journey through the ranks.
However, one thing that is frustratingly absent from the series, are some of the other elements that perhaps should have been included, like Senna's faith and religion. This was a major plot point in the 2010 documentary, where Kapadia included an interview with Senna where the Brazilian stated: "I visualised, I saw God." It may have been even more poignant for the series to spend some time showcasing how a young Senna became so connected to his religion, particularly as this was a major part of Senna's life, yet is barely even touched upon in the series.
Following a test in a Formula Ford car in Norfolk, England - it is revealed that Senna has broken the lap record at Snetterton. The series makes an incredibly strange choice with the depiction of Snetterton, with a mountain range in the background of the circuit. Rather famously, that area in Norfolk is incredibly flat, which makes the decision to spend money on adding scenery to the circuit slightly odd. There are various minor mistakes and continuity errors throughout the entire series, which for diehard motorsport fans, can be incredibly frustrating.
The first episode ends with Senna ending his brief retirement from racing after being offered an opportunity to return to the UK and race in Formula 3. The next episode delves into the complexity of being a young, promising racing driver having to deal with the politics of motorsport. Engaging with the media in a strategic way, speaking with various Team Principal's amidst the racing action, as well as Senna's divorce from Lilian, and missing home.
With Martin Brundle ahead of Senna in the Formula 3 standings going into a critical stage of the championship, Senna drives from the UK to Italy in under 15 hours to persuade the Italian manufacturers to modify the engine, in order to perform on a level playing field to Brundle, the pair separated by just three points in the standings.
The racing action between Brundle and Senna in the final race for the F3 title chooses to focus more on the reactions of those closest to Senna, especially as Lotus' Peter Warr promises him a seat at the Lotus F1 team, should he take the championship. Despite taking the title, this promise never came to fruition, with Ayrton instead joining the Toleman F1 team heading into 1984.
The latter half of Episode 2 is dedicated to introducing the major side characters going forward, including Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and various other team bosses and drivers. It then focuses on Senna's exceptional drive in Monaco 1984, where he would claim his first ever podium finish. With Netflix likely unable to shoot proper footage of the Monaco circuit, a lot of the overtakes showcased, and the circuit and cars themselves are created using CGI. Mixed with real life footage, the CGI has varying degrees of success, but all things considered, does a fine job of recreating these places and cars.
The end of the second episode teases Senna finally joining the Lotus F1 team for the 1985 season, skipping over most of his first season in Formula One, therefore not adding any extra information that the 2010 documentary didn't already include.
The third episode begins with Senna's maiden Formula One victory with Lotus at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal, also slightly expanding on Jean-Marie Balestre's involvement with the FIA, and portraying Balestre as a definite antagonist of the show.
After Senna's victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1985, the series suddenly jumps into the 1988 season, where the Brazilian joins McLaren and Prost. Once again, the series cutting from Monaco 1984 to Portugal 1985 and then to Monaco 1988, showcases one of the main problems with the show. Cutting multiple seasons out of the show means that we barely get to see a character arc for some of the supporting characters, with some of the other drivers that were friends with Senna, reduced to merely a brief conversation.
The remainder of the episode shows Monaco 1988 and Japan 1988, crucial moments in that season's championship story. With Monaco, the focus is more on Senna's strive for perfection and relentless pace in the car, eventually leading to the crash that cost the Brazilian the victory in Monaco.
This also showcases Prost and Senna's uncomfortable dynamic, as Senna is warned of Prost's mental warfare tactics, which the Frenchman displays before the final race in Japan. After a poor getaway, Senna is forced into a comeback drive in Japan, which as we all know, the legend completed, overtaking Prost down the front straight and therefore claiming championship victory.
Ultimately, everything in the first three episodes sets up what is to come in the remainder of the series, the relationship with McLaren and Prost, Senna's family dynamic and also Jean-Marie Balestre's hold over the sport and decision-making.
However, as mentioned previously, additional dynamics like Senna's relationship with religion and some of the other drivers, could have been a welcomed addition, as the series instead chooses to focus on the more antagonistic nature of figures in the sport, rather than giving some of the others a chance to have a character arc, like they did in reality, for example with Senna and Prost becoming friends at some point, as well as Senna's friendship with Gerhard Berger, which is barely touched upon.
Gabriel Leone does a solid job of making his portrayal of the legend that is Ayrton Senna, believable and certainly charming, if a little hollow and lacking depth in certain places. However, that is likely due to the elements that were left out of the show, because Leone does a very strong job, especially considering that Senna himself was a larger-than-life figure.
Episodes four to six take us through the later years of Senna’s life, spanning his racing records, historic wins, whirlwind romances, and ultimately, the hours leading up to his untimely death.
While the first half of the series spotlighted Senna’s journey to Formula One through the Karting World Championship, Formula Ford, and Formula 3, the racing action becomes a tempering element to Senna’s personal life in the latter half of the series.
As the Brazilian’s relationships become more nuanced, be that his impassioned affair with Xuxa Meneghel or his deteriorating rapport with Prost, the series makes a brilliant effort of showing how Senna’s two true passions in life – racing and his personal relationships – shaped him as an individual.
Yet while the show does flesh out Senna’s character and on-screen portrayal, right down to the physical details on his race suit, most other characters felt one-dimensional and flat. Especially Prost, Senna’s most famous rival, was a shadow of his true self.
However, this still does not take away much from the overall viewing experience, given that the omnipresent drama in Senna’s life keeps audiences hooked. The tension that strings each episode together steadily crescendos as we reach the inevitable doomed fate of the Brazilian hero.
Providing a backdrop to this mounting action is the unwavering support of Senna’s fans that are featured in almost every episode. The fans, and the legendary “Olé, Olé, Olé” chant of the crowd, took a life of their own in the series. It was especially touching to witness the visceral connection that Senna had with his supporters, particularly when he goes out of his way to visit Marcelo Silva, a young fan from his home country who indirectly gave Senna a sense of purpose through his heartfelt letters. Although Marcelo is not based on a real-life individual, in the show, he takes on the role of a composite character, representing all the young souls who were inspired by Senna — including some of our current generation of Formula One drivers.
Another composite character the show depicts is Laura Harrison, an ardent journalist who is the amalgamation of all the media voices that followed Senna throughout his career. Played by Kaya Scodelario, Laura’s presence alongside Senna in all the episodes is a visual representation of the media’s constant scrutiny as well as support of the Brazilian. She also acts as a neat way to tie up Senna’s story, through the answer he gives via a recording on why he loves racing and continues to race despite obliterating all the records — because when he’s in the car, he knows that he’s not alone. He has an entire family, a nation, and a community with him.
It’s these aspects that set this series apart from the critically acclaimed 2010 documentary, Senna. However, despite the emotional depth of this miniseries and the authenticity recreated through the impressively immersive cinematography and special effects, particularly during the racing scenes, the series lacks in delivering what it promised.
When the show was announced, Viviane Senna, the sister of Senna, stated that Netflix’s interpretation of Senna’s life story would be “totally unique and unprecedented.” However, for longtime fans of the 2010 documentary, this miniseries does not uncover previously unrevealed aspects of Senna’s complex character or his illustrious and well-documented racing career.
Despite this, the series is a must-watch for passionate fans of the Brazilian legend. Especially for newer fans, this serves as a fantastic way of introducing Formula One’s rich history in a more accessible manner, Netflix being the global streaming giant that it is.
Even for older fans, this series offers a way for viewers to travel back through time and become a part of the vibrant atmosphere of Senna’s life. In particular, watching it with the original Portuguese audio and English subtitles makes for an incredibly immersive experience, which is the true strength of the show.
We begin the journey with Beco or Becão, as he is fondly called by his family, witness the rise of the unstoppable Ayrton Senna, and eventually come full circle to end the tale with Beco, literally and figuratively; as nostalgic clips from his first days of driving a kart with his family cheering him flicker on screen.
A well-acted, solid representation that does leave a bit to be desired, but maintains its must-watch factor for fans, has led us to giving Netflix's Senna series, a 7/10.
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