Netflix announced the making of a limited series on Ayton Senna a long time ago. The streaming giants finally dropped the trailer, and excitement for the same has increased tenfold. Gabriel Leone, the actor who also featured in Adam Driver-starring Ferrari, will play Senna in this series. Incidentally, the trailer for the same dropped one day before Senna’s 30th death anniversary, which is on May 1.
Lately, F1 has garnered increased exclusive attention in the entertainment realm. Brawn GP and Ferrari are among the recent releases and the upcoming Lewis Hamilton-produced F1-themed movie starring Brad Pitt, also has the community in rafters.
Senna’s story, brought by Netflix, will be based on the three-time World Champion’s life. A documentary on the Brazilian’s life, also titled ‘Senna’ already exists. Directed by Asif Kapadia and produced by Drive to Survive-famed James Gay-Rees, the documentary bagged 20 international awards. The accolades include two BAFTAs, namely for Best Documentary Film and Best Editing.
After Ayrton Senna, Formula 1 was never the same. Senna, a new limited series inspired by the life, career, and relationships of the greatest Brazilian F1 driver of all time, premieres later this year. pic.twitter.com/yJZhvQXKIF
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024
Nevertheless, the upcoming adaptation starring Leone has the F1 fanbase waiting eagerly. Sadly, Netflix hasn’t set a release date for the same yet, although it was mentioned in the trailer that it will come out in 2024. Fans, however, want them to “drop the date.”
Netflix drop the date
— Brooke (@brookencyde) April 30, 2024
Another fan expressed their eagerness to watch the full feature.
looking forward to watching it #SennaSempre
— ∞ Аlёnа (@44thApril) April 30, 2024
With the trailer receiving positive reviews, the F1 community also hopes that the final product lives up to expectations.
God I hope it’s as good as the trailer seems…
— John McD (@JohnMcDee30) April 30, 2024
Netflix riding on the success of Drive To Survive
Senna comes in the midst of the mega success that Drive to Survive turned out to have. The popular docuseries released in 2019 and all six seasons so far have been widely watched and critically acclaimed. Its success has helped F1 draw in millions of new fans, many of whom hail from the USA.
Gauging this spike, F1 added two more American races to the calendar, taking the total to three (Miami, Austin and Las Vegas).
This growth has come at a price, though. While the docuseries has helped more fans connect with the sport, older watchers of F1 are far from happy. The show has often by criticized for the content it produces and the over-dramatization of events and rivalries have irked many.
Max Verstappen says he’s reluctant to get featured frequently in Netflix’s Drive to Survive series:
“Certain things are a bit more private and privacy for me is very important. I like things to be portrayed how they actually are and not with a lot of spice to it”
“I have an… pic.twitter.com/8svQnVMRTu
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 1, 2023
F1 drivers like Max Verstappen have, time and again, expressed their discontent with the content produced by Netflix. The streaming giants will look to have Senna steer clear of similar controversy, especially because of the Brazilian legend’s popularity within the paddock even today. If it manages to deliver, however, the show could end up having similar effects to what Drive to Survive had on the sport.
