Senna: 8 facts about the pilot’s life that were well represented in the Netflix series

The “Senna” series debuted on Netflix in November. The production tells the life and career of Ayrton Senna, going through extraordinary moments, such as the beginning of his career in England racing in Formula Ford, his successes in other championships and his rise in Formula 1, until the tragic accident that led to his via vita in Imola, Italy.

Although it is a work of fiction, as it shows dialogues and situations imagined by the creators and screenwriters, the series also reports several real facts from Ayrton Senna’s life. Want to know which ones were portrayed well? Read on!

See the list of key facts

Senna played a fundamental role in his career and, despite his premature death, he became a true legend of the sport, always being among the best drivers in the history of Formula 1 and serving as an inspiration for new generations of drivers.

Next, check out 8 facts about Senna’s life that were well depicted in the Netflix series.

1 – Defeat in the Kart World Championship

One of Senna’s biggest disappointments was not winning a world karting title. In 1979 he lost the controversy with a very controversial decision by the organizers of the event.

This fact is represented in the first episode of the series. Senna won the final race and tied on points with Dutchman Peter Koene. However, the FIA ​​organization established that the tie-breaking criterion was the places in the semi-finals, in which the foreigner had won.

Senna had in mind that the criterion was placing in the final heat, of which he would be the winner.

2 – Early retirement

One of the first facts told in the series shows how little Senna’s family supported him in relation to his desire to become a successful driver in Formula 1. So much so that he convinced his father to help him and let him go to England to become a driver. driver and compete in Formula Ford, he had to promise that he would return to work in the factory within a year.

In his first year as a driver, the Brazilian was very successful, becoming champion, which attracted the interest of the big teams. However, as he had promised his parents and wife, at the end of the season he announced his retirement from the slopes.

3 – Race won with duct tape

When he competed in Formula 3, Senna had to face a great opponent, the Englishman Martin Brundle. Despite leading a good part of the championship, he saw his opponent take a few victories in a row and get closer to him, leaving the fight for the final title to the last race.

To win the duel, Senna had an unusual idea: put duct tape on the car’s radiator air intake. This way the oil would warm up faster and reach the best point in the first lap, which would give him a greater advantage.

However, the tactic had a problem: it could overheat the vehicle. And that’s what happened on lap six. Then Senna loosened the seat belt and removed the adhesive tapes with his hands. The maneuver was very successful and Senna became Formula 3 champion.

4 – Incredible performance in Monaco in Formula 1

As told in the series, the driver arrived in Formula 1 as a driver for Toleman, a small team, without significant results in motorsport and which did not have a cutting-edge car. However, Ayrton was not intimidated and impressed the world in a race in Monaco, when, despite heavy rain and starting 13th, he finished the race in 2nd place.

There were many accidents during the race due to the heavy rain. However, this was not a problem for the Brazilian, who overtook practically all his rivals, behind only Alain Prost, driving a McLaren.

However, many journalists argue that the real winner of the race was the Brazilian, as he stopped on lap 32. The GP was supposed to last 76 laps and Senna closed the gap to the leader on every lap.

Another point is that he was the first to cross the finish line, as Prost stopped the car as soon as he saw the race director’s signal stopping the race. However, the rules stated that whoever was in front on the previous lap would be the winner.

5 – Accident in Munich

One of the nicknames Ayrton Senna received throughout his career was “King of Monaco” due to his dominance on local tracks. After all, he won six races in Monaco.

However, in 1988, the driver crashed incredibly. Senna was performing very well in the race, coming in 55 seconds ahead of Prost, on a circuit where the lap takes around 1 minute and 30 seconds. Until on lap 67, he, alone, crashes into the entrance to the Munich tunnel after making a mistake.

That day the Brazilian got out of the car, went straight to the apartment and remained uncommunicated until night. This fact remained marked in the driver’s history and demonstrated how obsessed he was with the goal of always being faster than his rivals, even with victory just around the corner.

6 – Loss of title due to disqualification

In 1989, in the penultimate race of the season, Senna needed to win the Japanese Grand Prix, at the Suzuka circuit, to remain in contention for the title. Prost was leading the race, followed by the Brazilian.

Then, on lap 47, Senna tried to overtake Prost at the narrow entrance to the final chicane, but both drivers crashed. The Frenchman got out of the car thinking he was already champion, but Senna asked the track assistants to help him push the car and get back into the race.

So he returned to the race, went to the pits, where he changed the nose of the car and, in the last two laps, overtook the leader Alessandro Nanini and won the race. However, he was disqualified for having “cut the chicane” after the accident. This is because he did not return to the track from where the accident occurred, but after the bend.

Senna was very upset and said that the president of the motor sports federation, Frenchman Jean-Marie Balestre, was trying to give an advantage to his compatriot Alain Prost. The Brazilian was fined $100,000 and received a punishment that forced him to spend six months without competing (but this decision was suspended).

7 – Crash on Prost who gives the title to Senna

Another very notable fact in Senna’s career shown in the series was his crash at Prost in 1990, a year after his disqualification, and also in Japan.

This time Senna was ahead in the championship and if Prost had not scored, the Brazilian would have won the title. A few days before the race, Senna had asked the race direction to change the starting position of the pole position, as the pole position on the Tokyo circuit would start on the dirty side where the asphalt has less grip and, according to the Brazilian, this would damage those who start.

Initially the proposal was accepted by the management, but then, as shown in the series, there was a new meeting with Balestre, where Nelson Piquet came to Senna’s defense and accused the motorsport management of having made a serious mistake against Senna the previous year . .

At the first corner, as Senna himself assumed years later, he collided with Prost and won the world title. For the Brazilian, the accident was a form of compensation for what happened in 1989.

8 – Victory with a single gear at Interlagos

Despite having already established himself in 1991 with two world titles and the idolatry of the Brazilian public, Senna had yet to achieve a victory in his homeland. But that year he started from pole and was well ahead of Williams’ Nigel Mansell. However, as the race progressed, his opponent began to close the gap and seemed on the verge of overtaking him, until his car broke down on lap 61, with 10 laps to go.

Then, it was Ricardo Patrese, Mansell’s teammate, who started to bother the Brazilian. To make matters worse, the gears in Senna’s car stopped working, forcing the Brazilian to reach the end of the race with only working sixth gear. Even so he won the race by three seconds ahead of Patrese.

The post Senna: 8 facts about the driver’s life well represented in the Netflix series appeared first on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.