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Netflix and Formula One have been proven to be a prosperous marriage. Now the streamer is following up on the success of its Drive to Survive hit docu-series with Senna, a biopic about one of the world’s most successful and mythical Formula 1 drivers, Ayrton Senna. But there’s a great documentary with the same title from 2010 that you won’t want to miss out on first.
A bit about the Netflix ‘Senna’ scripted series
Senna is a 6-episode miniseries from showrunner Vicente Amorim (Yakuza Princess, Good), co-director Júlia Rezende, head writer Gustavo Bragança (Bom Dia, Verônica, A Divisão), and producers Fabiano Gullane and Caio Gullane.
Gabriel Leone stars as the F1 legend with French actor Matt Mella playing Senna’s fierce rival Alain Prost. The lengthy cast also includes Alice Wegmann, Kaya Scodelario, Pâmela Tomé, Julia Foti, and Camila Márdila. Senna, which is a Brazilian production, was made with the support of the late race driver’s family and will follow Ayrton’s career from its Formula Ford beginnings in England to the fatal crash that cut his life short.
Netflix hasn’t provided a specific release date for Senna, but the miniseries is expected to hit the streamer in late 2024. An official teaser was first shared at Netflix’s 2024 Series and Film Preview featuring Leone as the late driver in an intense, ultimately victorious race interrupted by flashbacks of his childhood and personal life.
Who was Ayrton Senna?
Ayrton Senna was a three-time Formula 1 champion, with 41 Grand Prix wins, who raced for Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, and Williams, establishing a number of records that have yet to be broken. He was only 34 when he was killed in a racing accident in Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994.
Senna’s life was defined by his success on the race track, but also his unwavering Catholic faith, his concern for his home country of Brazil, and his tumultuous personal relationships with famous women like Brazilian TV star Xuxa and Brazilian model Adriane Galisteu, as well as Elle Macpherson and Carol Alt. Before the Netflix show, his tabloid-prone and achievement-rich life was previously captured by acclaimed documentarian Asif Kapadia in 2010’s Senna.
Where to watch the Senna documentary
If you’re in the United States, there’s sadly no way to stream or purchase the Senna documentary anywhere online. If you’re cool with going old school, there are ways to get the DVD — it’s selling on Amazon for a little under $4, but the website does warn that it might not be compatible with most American DVD players.
Weirdly, the U.S. appears to be the only country in the world where Senna cannot be easily accessed in 2024. We suspect the film to be caught in some legal trouble with distribution rights, or maybe Netflix is looking to acquire those to capitalize on its upcoming biopic, but this is all speculation on our side.
Thankfully, finding Asif Kapadia’s film will be much easier if you’re in the United Kingdom or pretty much anywhere else. The documentary is usually available to purchase or rent on Apple TV, Amazon Video, or Google Play Movies, and, in countries like Portugal, Belgium, and Hungary, it’s even readily available to stream with a Netflix or Max subscription.