5 years after launching its well-liked System One docuseries “Drive to Survive,” Netflix has dipped into the historical past of auto racing’s most prestigious championship for its first scripted challenge concerning the sport, based mostly on the lifetime of one among its all-time greats: Ayrton Senna.
“Senna,” premiering on Nov. 29, follows the dashing Brazilian from his karting days in São Paulo to his tragic dying, at 34, in a crash throughout the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. As teased within the unique trailer beneath, the six-part miniseries, starring Gabriel Leone (“Ferrari”) as Senna, focuses a lot of its consideration on the unforgettable thrills of Senna’s 10 years in F1, together with his bitter rivalry with McLaren teammate Alain Prost, his legendary talent at racing within the rain and his three World Drivers’ Championships.
Along with a serving to of wheel-to-wheel racing that may fulfill even critical gearheads, the collection, from showrunner Vicente Amorim, additionally introduces us to Senna’s supportive mother and father, Miltão (Marco Ricca) and Zaza (Susana Ribeiro); his glamorous pop star girlfriend, Xuxa (Pâmela Tomé); and Laura Harrison (Kaya Scodelario), a fictional reporter who turns into one of many driver’s closest allies upon his transfer to Europe.
Though “Drive to Survive” and the latest institution of three Grand Prix races within the U.S. have helped increase the game’s reputation with American audiences, it stays, like soccer, way more important overseas. As such, “Senna,” produced in Brazil and filmed largely in Portuguese with the assist of F1’s governing physique, appears prone to forge new ties between Netflix and diehard F1 followers who already know of Senna and his accomplishments.
The driving force was beforehand the topic of Asif Kapadia’s 2011 documentary “Senna.”
