Netflix drops first trailer for the Ayrton Senna miniseries

Netflix is set to air a six-episode miniseries based on the life of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna. Titled Senna, the show is slated to air later this year, though the streaming service hasn’t announced an exact release date yet.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of his tragic death in Imola in 1994, Netflix released a teaser trailer showing glimpses of the F1 racer’s life set against his emotional victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix. 

By that time, Senna had already won two F1 World Championships but was yet to win at his home Grand Prix. With stills from his youth days and heated rivalry with Alain Prost flashing upon the visor of his iconic yellow helmet, 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.

In this miniseries, Senna is portrayed by Gabriel Leone alongside 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 wheels and in personal matters. It begins early in his racing career, when Senna competed 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. On that unfortunate afternoon, Senna’s Williams FW16 left the track on the high-speed Tamburello corner in Imola during the San Marino Grand Prix, hitting the unprotected concrete wall at speeds well over 200 kmph. 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 emotional victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, Senna went on to win his third World Championship that year. At the age of 31, he was the youngest three-time F1 World Champion and the youngest to claim back-to-back championships (1990 and 1991). He died at a young age of 34.