46/39

Senna’s early career in England is shown on a racetrack next to a mountain range

Plot

Fictional mini-series about the life of Ayrton Senna da Silva, the Brazilian racing legend who won the Formula One world championship three times. The show’s creators have stated that they have some limitations due to Senna’s family involvement in the production.

There are no mountains in England – especially in Norfolk, which is famously flat

I’m calling this series the FW16 biopic because, like the car that killed Senna, it was good but… OK, first the positives. Overall, they really captured Senna’s uncompromising nature, particularly in showing the desperation of his team bosses.

I agree, but then again, so what?

The attention to detail was brilliant; watching the MP4/4 files during the race gave me chills, but the shot of Senna alone in the boardroom at the end of the Suzuki is a perfect recreation of the ITV shot from 1989. I’ve heard another reviewer say that the Story is one-sided.

It's obviously a show for Senna fans, not Balestre supporters

Fans who followed the machinations from 1989-1993 are familiar with The French Connection, if not unconditionally believe in the raw truth. That said, there were a few things the writers could have done to address: 1) Including Senna's personal relationships with people like Gerhard Berger and Josef Leberer, which would have gone a long way in humanizing him; 2) They could have put a lot more emphasis on Senna's work in developing the car - he was known to give his mechanics feedback until they were begging to go home; and 3) Donnington 1993 - I can't believe they completely ignored the single greatest lap in F1 history.