As we come to the end of 2024, another new motorsport film (limited series) has come to grace Netflix subscriber screens.
“Senna” is the latest offering, taking advantage of the current Formula One craze. The 6 part series focuses on the history of the great Brazilian race driver, from his early days in karting to his final Grand Prix in Imola.
For the most part, films of this genre have a tendency to lose the plot and have little to do with reality. The Senna series, similarly to Michael Mann’s brilliant “Ferrari” movie (2023), breaks with the tradition of poorly depicting the Sport as seen in “Rush”, “Driven” and “Gran Turismo”, for example.
Art direction is what makes “Senna” a great series to watch. The group responsible for costuming did an impeccable job. In every driving sequence, the race suits, helmets and car liveries are perfectly executed as original footage is interspersed with staged scenes, resulting in a seamless transition.
With the majority of the race scenes shot in South America, “Senna” does a good job of replicating a Monaco or Suzuki; however, the early scenes depicting British tracks are somewhat repetitive with paddock, pit lane and front straights repeated throughout Senna’s early races. Twenty-two replica cars were made for the film – again, the attention to detail was outstanding, whether depicting Senna’s first Van Diemen RF 81 through to the McLaren MP4’s which he used to claim his first three F1 Championships.
So okay, all that mechanical stuff is good, but what about the cast? Gabriel Leone is the leading man and does a decent job portraying The Great Man. Where his performance falls a bit flat is in character development. Ayrton Senna was determined, not afraid of anything. Leone’s portrait shows a more vulnerable, human side of Ayrton.
Matt Mella’s portrayal of Alain Prost depicts the Senna adversary as being far too much of an asshole, who looks like a reject from an 80’s metal band with a really bad Mullet.
Perhaps a better depiction of the constant conflict and friction Senna felt during his F1 career involved his interactions with FIA President Jean-Marie Balestre (played by Arnaud Viard) who, on more than one occasion, would have liked to ban Senna from the Sport.
As with all films, directors are always tempted to take liberties with facts to make movies more exciting. “Senna” was no exception. For example, the character of Laura Harrison (played by Kaya Scodelario), a British journalist working for Autosport Magazine, is completely fictitious. Laura never existed and perhaps represents Senna’s sometimes tough and unfair criticism by the British press (similar to what Max Verstappen has faced this Season). Also, receiving a motor from “Nova Motor” in Italy just hours before the Formula Three final race is total BS, done for a poorly chosen dramatic effect.
Is the ‘Senna” Limited Series worth watching? Yes, absolutely.
For sure creator/co-director Vicente Amorim has taken a few liberties and, if you are an ardent enthusiast, some small parts may set you off. But the film’s historical footage and seeing The Great Man’s impact on Brazil as well as the pride that Country felt makes “Senna” well worth watching.
“Senna” is a blueprint for motorsport filmmakers to pay attention to. We challenge them to set the bar higher, to “get it right” and to avoid assuming that viewers are completely uneducated. I sincerely hope that the upcoming Lewis Hamilton film (scheduled to be released in June, 2025) continues in Michael Mann (“Ferrari”) and Vicente Amorim’s (“Senna”) admirable footsteps.
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