Senna on Netflix: a biopic series worthy of the legendary Formula 1 driver? – News Series

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Fascinated by cars since childhood, Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna became a sporting legend, until tragedy struck and changed Formula 1 forever.

WHO IS IT WITH?

In Brazil, Ayrton Senna is not just a Formula 1 glory. Thirty years after his death, the latter is still a true icon, whose exploits are known to all. In a country where football is – by far – the most popular sport, Senna has made a name for himself among the greatest legends.

Lending his features to the three-time F1 world champion was therefore no easy feat. The choice of production, with the agreement of the Senna family, fell on Gabriel Leone. Main actor in the series DOM (available on Prime Video), the latter also played the Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago in the feature film biopic Ferrari directed by Michael Mann.

The 31-year-old actor delivers a convincing performance, but nevertheless intimidated by the Ayrton Senna myth. The physical resemblance between the two men is, however, striking, and reinforces the credibility of Gabriel Leone's interpretation.

The physical resemblance is, however, much less obvious between the Franco-American actor Matt Mella and Alain Prost, whom he plays in the series. The four-time world champion serves as the program's antagonist during the few episodes devoted to the rivalry between him and Ayrton Senna.

The journalist Laura, on the other hand, is a fictional character, invented for the needs of the series. Like the character, his interpreter Kaya Scodelario (the series The Gentlemen) is British, but has Brazilian origins; so she speaks English and Portuguese fluently.

IS IT WORTH A LOOK?

May 1 marked the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the cursed day on which Ayrton Senna died. Three times world champion, the Brazilian driver lost his life in a terrible accident during the San Marino Grand Prix. His many exploits still rank among the greatest moments in the history of Formula 1 today.

The subject of numerous documentaries, the life of Ayrton Senna has never been adapted for cinema or television. The Netflix series therefore marks the very first fictional biopic devoted to the life and career of the Brazilian pilot. This project could only succeed with the authorization of the family, and particularly of Viviane Senna, who manages her brother's image and assets.

A tribute that does not want to tarnish the image of the champion

The Senna mini-series was primarily designed as a tribute to the pilot. This biopic does not transcend the codes of the genre, and it is chronologically that we follow the main stages of the latter's career: his beginnings in karting, his beginnings in Formula 1 and his first victories, his first world champion title. in 1988 and of course his rivalry with Alain Prost.

Like Asif Kapadia's documentary (released in 2011), Senna pits the Brazilian driver against the French champion, one described as the good guy in the story and the other as the bad guy.

If there is no doubt that the rivalry between them sometimes pushed Alain Prost to cross certain lines of conduct, this Manichean and simplistic portrait of their history also makes the choice to turn his back on the truth.

In the Netflix miniseries, Senna is portrayed as a genius pilot (which he was), but also as an obsessive perfectionist (which he also was). These six episodes only show us the latter to his advantage, as if the simple fact of evoking his dark sides could call his legend into question.

Spectacular racing scenes, but…

Determined to show her in the best possible light, the series even suggests that Senna could only lose through cheating. None of his opponents, whether on the karting circuits or those of F1, seem to be able to beat him fairly.

The series benefited from a large budget, and this is particularly evident during the rather well-done racing scenes. At the same time, Senna takes on the appearance of a fairly smooth production, with a certain number of errors in bad taste – like its very kitsch credits worthy of afternoon soap operas.

On several occasions, we feel the desire of directors Vicente Amorim and Julia Rezende to implicitly evoke the political and social history of Brazil. Close-ups of newspaper clippings or extracts from television news refer to events that shook the country during the 1980s.

Six episodes that don't teach us much

Evoking these historical events in the background could have been a good idea, provided it was handled subtly. But the treatment of this subplot has the effect of taking us away from the main story. In wanting to give context to the plot, directors sometimes completely miss their subject!

We don't necessarily have a bad time watching this anecdotal series, but six episodes still seem quite long. This biopic doesn't tell us anything new about the Brazilian pilot, and watching Asif Kapadia's excellent documentary does a much better job than the series in just 106 minutes (the length of an episode and a half).

This program should be seen as a distant prequel to the documentary series Formula 1: Drivers of Their Destiny, also produced by Netflix. There is no doubt that viewers who grew up watching Ayrton Senna's exploits on television will surely enjoy reliving the greatest moments of his career.

The six episodes of the Senna mini-series can now be found exclusively on Netflix.

Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!