Senna Season 1 Review – A compelling sport drama

Episode Guide

Calling
Belonging
Ambition
Passion
Hero
Time

When it comes to dangerous sports, no other reaches that pinnacle of spectacle, chaos and danger as Formula 1. Reaching speeds of over 230mph, it’s undoubtedly a life or death sport, with one wrong move spelling disaster.

One name synonymous with racing, and a catalyst for driving big changes for the safety of drivers is that of Ayrton Senna da Silva. Undoubtedly one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Senna’s story is one of triumph and tragedy, interwoven together into a dramatic and star-studded career that was cut short before his time.

Following the success of the 2010 documentary titled the same name, Netflix’s newest Brazilian series looks to achieve the same dizzying heights that film achieved. While it does have its pitfalls and a few things holding it back, this is undoubtedly a gripping and well delivered biographical series.

Born and raised in São Paulo, Senna begins with an opening episode that looks into the man’s past, including his first taste of driving with competitive kart racing at the age of 13. We also see him move through Formula 3 before hitting all the usual milestones you’d expect from a sport drama like this.

The story is rather predictable in the way it delivers the narrative, with all the tropes cropping up along the way. You have the fierce rivalry with teammate Alain Prost, which forms the glue that holds the antagonistic threat for Senna together. There are celebrity scandals, family drama, along with the usual doubt-quelling pep-talks to pick Senna up along the way. This usually comes in the form of calls back home to mum and dad or speaking to fictional journalist Laura, who are all used as props to help Senna along his journey.

However, these characters aren’t really fleshed out all the much, despite being followed across six episodes. Sure, they hit all the usual narrative beats you’d expect, including Laura going from a naysayer to a believer, Prost hating to respecting the man, and his family accepting Senn’s career choice, but it would have been nice to get a bit more depth and nuance to their behaviour.

While the second half of the show definitely goes some way to try and flesh out some of these characters a bit more, these guys are very much fodder to drive Senna’s character forward; they’re either a hindrance or a motivating force to make this driver a more rounded individual.

There’s also the revolving door of managers and bureaucratic issues and changes to the sport, including a damning look at electronic equipment that ultimately leads to the finale’s tragic conclusion. These moments are interwoven throughout the show to drum up some drama, although in terms of conflict, there’s little to really paint Senna in a negative light.

However, the rivalry with Prost is something that’s captured pretty well on-screen, and nowhere else is that more evident than on the race track. And it’s here where Senna shines.

If there’s one part of this show that stands out and makes it worth watching, it’s the races. They’re incredibly exciting and you really get a feel for the nail-biting tension and drama while the drivers are whizzing around the racetrack. Along with the POV shots from within the driver’s seat, there are also extreme close up shots for parts of the track, light CGI used during quick cuts outside the ca (complete with sparks and screaming engines) along with extremely realistic weather effects.

Honestly, Senna is outstanding when it comes to capturing the raw emotion and drama that stems from these races. It also helps that interwoven around all of this are shots from TV monitors showing footage from the actual races. And yes, THAT incident from Imola is shown on a monitor too.

However, what’s particularly good here is the way the screen turns fuzzy and indecipherable. It’s the best way to pay respects to the man without glorifying or over-dramatizing the crash that ultimately took his life. And if there’s one phrase within the show that really captures Senna’s career, all culminating in this awful moment, it’s this: “Everything has to end… it’s inevitable”.

While it does have its cliched moments, Senna is ultimately a well worked Brazilian series that pays homage to a brilliant racer and an incredibly talented man. The racing is easily the highlight of the entire series, and accompanying that is simple character drama (almost to a fault) to drive Senna forward to the next career highlight. Whether you’re a racing fan or not, Senna is a compelling drama  all the same and well worth a watch.

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