Netflix will soon air a new miniseries based on the life of FAyrton Senna. Simply called Senna, it’s a six-episode series slated to air later this year. Netflix hasn’t announced an exact release date, aside from later in 2024.
The teaser trailer that just dropped shows glimpses of the Formula 1 racer’s life story, set against his emotional 1991 victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix. By that time, Senna had two F1 world championships to his name but the Brazil native never won at his home track. With visions of his youth and career flashing upon the helmet visor, the trailer takes us through the struggles he faced during that race. It ends with his screams of victory, famously captured during the live broadcast of the race as he took the checkered flag. Even the hardest die-hard fans might tear up a bit from that.
Senna is portrayed by Gabriel Leone in the series, which also stars Matt Mella as Alain Prost and Pamela Tome as Senna’s girlfriend Xuxa. According to Netflix, the series is a fictional retelling of his life story both behind the wheel and in personal matters. It begins early in his racing career competing in Formula Ford, and takes us through to the end.
Of course, the end came on May 1, 1994, almost 30 years ago to the day of this trailer being released. His car left the track on a high-speed corner at Imola during the San Marino Grand Prix, impacting the wall at speeds well over 100 mph. He was extracted and immediately airlifted to the hospital, but his time of death was ultimately recorded as the moment of impact in the race.
Following his heartfelt win at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1991, Senna would go on to win his third world championship that year. At age 31, he was the youngest three-time F1 winner and the youngest to claim back-to-back championships (1990 and 1991). He was 34 years old when he died.