Netflix Confirms Six-Part Ayrton Senna Biopic Starring Gabriel Leone

Netflix has been working on a six-part mini-series documenting the life of Ayrton Senna since late 2020 but has finally found the perfect actor to cast in the lead role.

You might be wondering why another series is necessary following Asif Kapadia and Manish Pandey's seminal masterpiece, Senna, but there is a big difference. Senna (2010) was a 106-minute documentary masterpiece, while Netflix's creation will be a biopic starring Gabriel Leone as Ayrton Senna da Silva.

We don't expect this dramatization of a real person to be factually incorrect, however. Senna's family has agreed to be actively involved in the film, and they'll want it to be as accurate as possible, warts and all.

"It is a huge responsibility and also a great honor to be able to represent an icon who inspired so many people throughout his life, showing the world Brazilian sporting talent," said Leone. "Knowing that we will bring this story to millions of people in so many countries, through Netflix, inspires me to see this as one of the great roles of my career."

"He has the ability to faithfully portray Ayrton's unique personality, especially the Ayrton that we as a family knew, off the track," said Viviane Senna, Ayrton's sister, about Leone's casting.

According to Netflix, it will explore everything Senna left out. It will reveal the "personality and personal relationships" of the three-time world champion. It will showcase his greatest moments and biggest disappointments. The series will start with the early days of his career and will end with the tragedy at Imola. We hope a Lewis Hamilton cameo is included, given the special relationship between Sir Lewis and Brazil, not to mention Senna's influence on Hamilton's career as his idol.

Senna remains a fascinating character, not just because of how brilliant he was behind the wheel. Ayrton Senna da Silva was a complex character. He had no problems driving into Alain Prost at 170 mph to win his second Drivers' Championship title and was known for putting other drivers in danger by going for gaps that didn't really exist. He once set the fastest lap time by going through the pit lane. The similarities between Senna, Schumacher, and Verstappen are staggering.