F1 great Ayrton Senna’s highoctane life in focus in new Netflix series about racing champion

Thirty years after his death in a highspeed crash viewed by millions around the world, Formula One champion Ayrton Senna’s high-octane life is also about to play out in front of a global audience. The legendary Brazilian driver who was killed when his car hit a concrete wall at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 is the subject of a six-episode Netflix series that debuts on Nov. 29 and follows him from his early go-kart days to that fatal Sunday afternoon at the Imola track in Italy.

Even three decades after that accident, few F1 figures evoke as much emotion and passion among fans and fellow drivers as Senna, who won three championship titles before his death at the age of 34. Senna’s complex personality he was a saint to his millions of Brazilian fans and a sinner to some critics who deemed his driving style too aggressive comes to life through Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone, who embraced the challenge of portraying such a popular figure. “He was much more than an F1 driver for us, he became an icon, much beyond his technique and his driving,” Leone told The Associated Press in an interview in Sao Paulo. “He had this humanity .

The things he said, it all made him closer to people.” Senna’s life and career had no shortage of made-for-TV moments. This was a driver who once won a race with his car stuck in sixth gear in front of thousands of raucous fans at the Interlagos track. And who went from fifth position to first in one lap at the 1993 European Grand Prix. And who jumped out of his car during a training session to save the life of a French driver who had crashed. On the track, his rivalry with French driver Alain Prost was one of the most intense that F1 has ever seen. Off the track, he had some high-profile relationships as well and dated several models, including Elle Macpherson. “For me as an actor, the more complex the character is, the better. It is more interesting to build him and live him. And this is quite a character, the biggest hero in Brazil, not only in sport,” Leone said.