Impressive Detail: First Senna Netflix Series Trailer Is Here

Senna-Netflix-Series-Trailer.jpg
Images: Netflix
After a teaser in April of 2024, the first trailer for the Senna Netflix series is here and gives more insight into what awaits come November 29 - with rather impressive detail on show.

Ayrton Senna - one of the most legendary names in Formula One history continues to inspire fans to this day. The three-time World Champion who tragically died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix is the subject of an upcoming Netflix series simply titled 'Senna', and the wait for the first episode will be over on November 29.

Thus far, only a teaser showing scenes surrounding his iconic 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix victory - his first on home soil - had been shown in late April of 2024. Now, the first proper trailer goes into more detail - and detail is the name of the game in the shots that Netflix selected to show.

Of course, the series is trying to follow in big footsteps. 2010's 'Senna' was a documentary, but felt like a proper movie throughout much of its runtime, showing Senna on and off the track. The Netflix series is set to show both Ayrton Senna, the ruthless racer, as well as the man outside the car.


Cooperation With The Senna Family​

The trailer starts with Senna's racing roots as a child, transitioning to scenes from his career in karting, Formula Ford and eventually F1. Unlike the 2010 documentary, which by its very nature could only be about Senna, the series looks to let Senna, the main character, tell the story himself instead. It was created in cooperation with the Senna family, too.

What really surprised me in a positive way is the level of detail the trailer gets right. This starts with Gabriel Leone, who is playing Senna, recreating the iconic pose of Senna raising the trophy in pain on the 1991 Brazilian GP podium, and it extends to basically every shot in the trailer. The sponsors on the cars and tracks, the type of helmets Senna used throughout his career, even the curbs are correct for Interlagos 1991, for instance.

This also extends to the cast. Leone, while not uncannily close to Senna in looks, does seem to convey Senna's intensity quite well, and even has the hair styles to match the different eras of Senna's career. What did make me do a double take was Matt Mella as Alain Prost. Mella looks so much like The Professor, right down to his locks, it is almost scary.

Senna-Netflix-Series-Trailer-Prost-Senna.jpg

Matt Mella as Alain Prost (left) and Gabriel Leone as Ayrton Senna.

Prost the villain again?​

Certainly, the rivalry between the two will take up a good chunk of the series' plot - it was one of the definitive elements of both drivers' careers. It will be interesting to see how exactly this rivalry is portrayed - one of the main criticisms towards the 2010 documentary was that this important chapter was shown in a one-sided way, making out Prost as the clear villain.

In reality, neither of the two probably qualified for the role of hero and villain in their shared story - and by the end of 1993, they had started to reconcile, as was evident the last time they shared a podium at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.

Interestingly, shortly after the Senna series is released, French television channel Canal+ is set to debut a mini-docuseries about Prost on December 8 - even on screen, Prost and Senna still go head-to-head.

Meanwhile, the Senna series also looks set to highlight much of Senna's life outside the car, showing conversations with his father Milton da Silva (Marco Ricca), a glimpse into his relationship with Brazilian TV personality Xuxa Meneghel (Pamela Tome), and more of Ayrton's private life.

The series will likely be just as emotional as it is going to be interesting and insightful - as someone who loves their racing and particularly F1 history, I am very excited to see the final result. November 29 is already circled in my calendar.


The Sim Racing Link: Reiza Helped With CGI Assets​

It is no surprise that the series being heavily rooted in Senna's native Brazil - and one of these roots actually goes back to sim racing. Reiza Studios, the developer behind the Automobilista series, has helped out with assets for the CGI effects in the series.

Automobilista 2 in particular is probably THE Senna sim when it comes to first-party content. The sim features Senna's cars from the 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons, as well as a total of 13 circuits as they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s, some even in multiple variants. For the full overview of AMS2's F1 season content, check our Ultimate Automobilista 2 Formula 1 Season Guide.

With how passionate Reiza are about the career of their native country's biggest F1 hero, it is great to see them get to help with the project. And who knows, maybe extra assets that are not in the sim yet will find their way into AMS2 eventually - one can dream!

What are your impressions of the Senna Netflix series trailer? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our forums!
About author
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

Comments

I remember how much the family hated Adriane and yet her and Ayrton seemed so happy together. I have wondered whatever happened to her. Glad to hear she at least turned out to be a good person.
During the tragic Imola weekend, Senna was very agitated because of his family's dislike of Adriana. He and his brother had a big argument about her. He was supposed to fly straight to his house in Portugal after the race, where Adriana was waiting for him.

From I've gathered on the Internet and what I could understand from her Wikipedia page (in Portuguese), she became a TV personality in Brazil, is now married and has kids. (Maybe a Brazilian member of this board can complete what I wrote?)
 
I bought paperback on Amazon because I can't read digital versions:D

- 'Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One' for about $17
- 'The Mechanic: The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane' for less than $15

Shipment cost me $5 so I decided took additional book. December will be my month of reading:)

Big thanks once more time to both of you @Kingkoenig and @BruceD !
 
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I remember how much the family hated Adriane and yet her and Ayrton seemed so happy together. I have wondered whatever happened to her. Glad to hear she at least turned out to be a good person.
The only thing "against" her the Senna's family had was about she ALLEGEDLY had worked as a prostitute when a minor, but when with Senna she had an ok model career and right after that gone to TV as a presenter. At the time that Xuxa not only ("""""allegedly"""""... let's say that everybody SAW it but no one can comment about because of Brazilian laws + Xuxa's lawyers lol) WAS a prostitute but ended up, when over 18, filming a porn scene with a minor boy (in the movie Amor Estranho Amor... that is a forbid topic in Brazil, but no one can really stop the internet... as google or duckduckgo for "Amor Estranho Amor completo" lol²) and nowadays she is messed into a slavery-kid prostitution and human trafficking """""investigation""""" (because seems to me that nobody is really allowed to investigate... or even talk about the details, and that is why I will only talk this much).

But the Xuxa relationship was a midia build thing as Rede Globo (by the time, a media company that basically owned Brazil) still use to really try to "ship" their female top staff with any emerging or famous celebrity (specially in sports) and Senna get into that (as Neymar with Bruna Markezini and Pele... also with Xuxa) but the guy was smart and ended it with dignity. Galisteu wasn't in Rede Globo and after that never get into exactly because Xuxa blacklisted her, relegating Adriane to work only in small TV stations.

Senna's family still in business with people in Rede Globo (money laundry using Instituto Ayrton Senna + Criança Esperança). Soooo... for his family it was all about business, but the guy and Adriane were really into each other and, IMHO, Xuxa forced some tears at his funeral, but I strongly believe that Galiesteu cried some real true love.
 
Premium
I am very curious about the netFlix series. I am lucky enough to have been able to follow Senna's entire F1 career live on TV, every Grand Prix, including the last one at Imola. I have also seen many documentaries about him, the best of which several times.
I am not so enthusiastic about the NetFlix trailer. If you have seen Senna so much, even the best actor is disappointing. It is just not quite right. But, I also experienced the 1976 season with Lauda and Hunt live on TV and I had doubts about Rush beforehand, but I ultimately thought that was a very good film. So I will definitely watch the Senna series on NetFlix and I would like to be surprised.
 
But, I also experienced the 1976 season with Lauda and Hunt live on TV and I had doubts about Rush beforehand, but I ultimately thought that was a very good film.
I agree. What made Rush so good for me was the incredible performance of Daniel Brühl as Lauda. He was almost identical, especially the voice.
 
Wow, Prost looks even more like Prost than Senna looks like Senna, at least in that side-pic in the OP.

Senna does a decent job of looking like Senna, definitely good enough, but OMG in the YouTube thumbnail pic he looks wayyyy more like Alesi, haha.
 
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Indeed, he used to stab the throttle repeatedly to keep the turbo spooled up, a habit which he kept in the non-turbo cars. You can hear that really well in some of the old onboards, such as his qualifying laps at Monaco or Jerez. I found that really hard to replicate actually, seems like such a simple technique, but it isn't (at least to me).
In the non-turbo NSX famous test drive video, it looks like the technique were both to keep the engine at its highest torque as possible, and to mimicking the traction control. Apparently Senna knew that his brain, butt and right foot suit his driving style better than the NSX's traction control.
 
I have to say the trailer really really impressed me! 😱😍
If the whole Series is on par with this beautiful trailer, I will be extremely pleased.

Cool that Reiza contributed! Bravi! The CGI fx look good.

As a Ferrari fan, I really missed not having Senna driving "La Rossa"...
 
I've never been a fan of Senna, he had a very similar driving style to Verstappen now, he puts himself where; either you let him pass, or you crash (for example Japan 1991 I think) and I don't think it's fair racing
 
I think from the brief glimpses I've seen the CGI look great. Honestly I wish they'd just do all the racing scenes like that. It's hard to be convincing when you only have 4 or 5 cars and you have to use camera tricks to make it look like a full field and grand prix weekend in the 80's.
 
I've never been a fan of Senna, he had a very similar driving style to Verstappen now, he puts himself where; either you let him pass, or you crash (for example Japan 1991 I think) and I don't think it's fair racing
I believe you mean 1990. To be fair, you can't take that GP out of the context. What happened one year before was ridiculous. Not that it can justify what Senna did, but it kind of explains.
There is even a video of James Hunt where he says that Prost was the one to blame on the 1990 Suzuka accident, but I personally disagree.
 
I believe you mean 1990. To be fair, you can't take that GP out of the context. What happened one year before was ridiculous. Not that it can justify what Senna did, but it kind of explains.
There is even a video of James Hunt where he says that Prost was the one to blame on the 1990 Suzuka accident, but I personally disagree.
1989 led to 1990, no doubt. I agree with you, the penalty Senna got in 1989 was ridiculous, but it doesn't excuse 1990. We were robbed of what could have been a great duel between Senna and Prost that day.
 
1989 led to 1990, no doubt. I agree with you, the penalty Senna got in 1989 was ridiculous, but it doesn't excuse 1990. We were robbed of what could have been a great duel between Senna and Prost that day.
The only thing that led Senna to do that was that he got his special request to have polesitter on the outside denied (it was not a thing back then). This was on the back of him losing out of the starts from pole on the two years prior, so he felt the FISA was solely out to get him.

In 1990 he had the championship under control, Prost going ahead changed nothing. In 1989 he needed to win the last two races, and with Suzuka's result still suspended, he crashed out at Adelaide, which made Suzuka's outcome a moot point.
 
People can only theorize (or rather, "hypothesize") why Senna did that with the throttle. There's all sorts of different reasons you'll hear stated. It could be none, one, some, or all of the reasons. The reality is, no one knows. Well maybe some team members of his know (eg. his engineer/s).
 
I've never been a fan of Senna, he had a very similar driving style to Verstappen now, he puts himself where; either you let him pass, or you crash (for example Japan 1991 I think) and I don't think it's fair racing
Its not fair to compare the two, Max doesn't have sexual relations with a 14 year old child like Senna did,
 
Indeed, he used to stab the throttle repeatedly to keep the turbo spooled up, a habit which he kept in the non-turbo cars. You can hear that really well in some of the old onboards, such as his qualifying laps at Monaco or Jerez. I found that really hard to replicate actually, seems like such a simple technique, but it isn't (at least to me).
It's a technic from karting where, like the turbo lagging F1 cars of the 80s, kezping high revs is crucial as it is really slow to regain power at low revs. It is something I can't manage to reproduce in sims. I assume you have to be able to exactly know how much pressure has to be input, it may be more do1ble with load cells pedals (which I don't own). Or I'm just bad :D
 
To answer your question: this was supervised by the Senna family, so, yes, I fully expect a series that will portray Senna as a saint and Prost as the scheming villain, just like the Senna documentary. It will probably be more hagiography than biography. I'll watch anyway, of course, but the real story of their rivalry is in this book:


Not sure how I will manage to watch the Canal+ series, but I'd like to see it. This one will probably heavily slanted in favor of Prost, no doubt. I wish Ron Howard would direct "Rush 2", about Senna and Prost.
Not sure Prost will be depictzd as the vilain. He declared he had close.relationship with Senna's family, being involved in their charity organization. As a kid it was hard to decide which one Ibpredered, and after their rivalry, Prost was often shown as the vilaiin and looked like a pretencious guy. Getting oldzr 1nd watching interviews I understood he wasn't pretencious, his c1utious approach was real and his former collegues have been confirming that for years. He is a down to earth person and his interviews are really interesting. You may think he was pretencious when in an interview he stated he was the only F1 world champion to have beaten 5 F1 world champions in his career but it was true, and these were legendary champions. I hope the series has been made with his collaboration as he worked with Senna and was a close friend after their rivalry ended.

What give me doubts about the series is that this competition between two opposite personnalities has been already well done in Rush, and Senna and Prost personnalities are much less spectacular than Hunt and Lauda.

And, disagreeing with some on the forum, I think these actors have nothing to do with Senna and Prost. These guys looked way older than their age, with a focused look, very slim and fit. Senna's actor doesn't look fit enough. Prost's actor in the first shot we see him looks like an idiot with his mouth open. It is more important imo to capture a character than.trying to look like him.

Anyway, as always with these usual biopics, I have high doubts about this series accuracy. Still, sometimes there's a quiet good.one (Dammer was quiet accurate although it wasn't as awful as the real events) so I hope this one will be fair and close to the real story.

These guys were heavy competitors, bordeline, rarely in the racing sport history 2 leading drivers have been so close in terms of performance, although dtrastically different. It obviously leads to frictions, disputes. But they were respectful people and aware of the dangers on track.
 

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