Ayrton Senna: The Rainmaster
"Nothing moves faster than a lifetime. Senna, the series about the driver destined to be a hero, streams on November 29 only on Netflix."
Ayrton Senna da Silva, born in Sao Paulo, is renowned for his aggressive driving style and passion for winning. He is considered one of the best drivers in Formula 1 history and perhaps the entire racing world. The 3-time world champion Brazilian was the son of a rich businessman. He was introduced to racing at only 4 years old when his father brought him to a go-kart race.
Senna started racing at 13 years old, winning two back-to-back championships in the South American Karting Championship. He raced in several junior series in England before participating in Formula 3 in 1983. He won the national championship and debuted in Formula 1 with Toleman Racing in 1984, at 24 years old.
He wanted a faster car, so he went to Lotus in 1985 and won the Portuguese Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix with Lotus, finishing the season in 4th place. 1988 was a turning point for Ayrton Senna as he won the championship in his first season with his new team, McLaren. The next year in 1989, a rivalry started between him and his teammate Alain Prost, as the two clashed for the championship. Their rivalry had a peak at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka Circuit as Senna and Prost crashed, naming Alain Prost the champion of the 1989 season.
The tension between the two heated up, causing Alain Prost to switch to Ferrari at the end of the season. This started a 4-year battle between the two, with Ayrton Senna winning 2 more championships in 1990 and 1991 with McLaren, finishing the 1992 season in 4th place as Nigel Mansell won the championship that year, and finishing the 1993 season in 2nd place behind Alain Prost who won the championship that year. Ayrton Senna won the last race of the 1993 season, which would be his last race win ever.
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a tragic one, as the race weekend saw two deaths of racing drivers. Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna unfortunately lost their lives the same weekend, marking it as one of the most tragic weekends in Formula 1 history.
Ayrton Senna is still mourned today worldwide, with many memorials made about him. He has a documentary (Senna) which was released in 2010, and there is an upcoming mini-series to be released on Netflix called Senna.