EXCLUSIVE: Ayrton Senna’s Confidante Hails Netflix for Shining Light on His Thrilling Pre-F1 Rivalry

Ayrton Senna is the winner of the 1990 German GP

For Formula 1 fans, Ayrton Senna’s rivalry with McLaren teammate Alain Prost stands out as the most iconic rivalry in the history of the sport. However, the recent Netflix documentary on the three-time world champion’s life and career has gotten a lost rivalry of the Brazilian’s early racing career to the fore.

In an exclusive interview with The Sportsrush, Senna‘s close friend and personal photographer Keith Sutton explained how the documentary did a stellar job of covering his rivalry with his Formula Ford teammate Enrique Mansilla.

“From my perspective as Ayrton’s photographer, I think the series did a good job capturing the intensity of his rivalry with Enrique Mansilla,” began Sutton. Senna and Mansilla battled it out during the 1981 Formula Ford season — a make-or-break competition for South American drivers back in the day.

“Their battles in Formula Ford 1600 weren’t just about winning races—they were about proving who was the better driver, and both were incredibly competitive. Mansilla was one of the few who could challenge Ayrton consistently, and that made their rivalry thrilling to watch,” he added.

Giving high praise to the creator of the six-part mini series, Sutton said the depiction of their rivalry was “fairly accurate”.

How Senna overtook Mansilla to make his way into F1

As Sutton explained, it was crucial for Senna to win the Formula Ford championship in 1981, not only from a monetary perspective because he had taken funds from back home but also to stand out in the British racing circles. In the end, Senna did win the championship, which got him in the eyes of Lotus’ Peter Warr and West Surrey Racing’s Dick Bennetts.

Three years later, he would land his F1 debut with Toleman. While one-half of this iconic junior racing rivalry is no longer with us, Sutton has managed to keep a good rapport with the Argentine driver. “Even today, 44 years later I am still in contact with Enrique, and I last met him at the Monaco Grand Prix last year,” Sutton revealed.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Ayrton Senna Keith Sutton

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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