Senna: a review of the documentary on the legend

A poster of the 2010 documentary that won two Bafta awards. (Wiki creative commons)

A god-fearing devout Catholic, we often get to see the softer and less competitive side of Senna in the film. His love for his country Brazil is unparalleled. He would see the pain and suffering of his countrymen and would try and do his best to bring happiness in their lives. Every time he won he brought smiles and celebrations across the country. His sheer tenacity to win the Brazilian GP despite a gear box failure that left him stuck in sixth gear is testament to his mastery of the art of driving. His emotional response following the race was there for all to see as well.

A philanthropist, Senna was concerned about the welfare of the children of Brazil. An organisation set up in his name following his all too early demise has gone on to educate 12 million less fortunate Brazilian children. The humility of the man is well documented in the film too. And for added effect, we get to see snippets of his personal life, and the women he dated.

During his last season with McLaren he would go on to claim many memorable wins. But despite his supreme effort he fell short to the power of the Williams cars that were technologically aided. His eventual move to Williams brought him hope of a fourth world title but the subsequent ban on the very same technological aids that had helped Williams dominate would hamper this dream.

In the absence of the aids what Senna inherited was not the supreme machine that had helped Prost win a 4^th world title, but a shadow of that car which became inherently unstable. Despite this handicap Senna pushed on and still went on to claim pole positions in subsequent races only to fall short during them. This led to a great amount of frustration for Senna, who never could settle for second best.

All this led to the fateful San Marino Grand Prix of 1994. By far one of the most pivotal races in F1 history, it led to widespread changes in the sport in terms of safety. The film showed the emotions that Senna was going through during the entire event with a sort of stark clarity that one rarely sees. Right from his concern when his young compatriot Rubens Barrichello suffers a horrific crash to the subsequent crash resulting in Ronald Ratzenberger’s death in qualifying, everything is well chronicled.

Ayrton Senna’s Williams Renault is hauled off the circuit after he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Imola circuit. Senna suffered a fatal accident when the steering column sheared leaving the Brazilian helpless as his car speared into the concrete wall at the Tamburello corner. (Getty Images)

On race day itself one can see the tension writ large on Senna’s face. Additional commentary from F1’s chief doctor at the time (Sid Watkins) informs the viewers about how he tried to convince Senna to give up racing and Senna’s subsequent response that he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. The fatal crash he suffered at the Tamburello corner and the efforts to revive him and the failure to do so is extremely emotional. It is hard not to shed a tear when footage is shown of the mourning of millions of Brazilians when they hear of his death.

By the end of the film you are left emotionally drained by the loss of one who was so passionate about life and racing. For Senna speed was in his blood, he was born to race, born to be a world champion. For F1 fans like myself, who grew up on a diet of Michael Schumacher and his all conquering days at Ferrari, this film shows the true champion of Formula One racing.

Senna could never play politics, could never manipulate people to do as he wished, he could only drive and a master he was at it. This film is by far a must watch for any F1 fan and non F1 fans as well. The footage is superb and the pace of the film is extremely engaging. It captivates the viewer and leaves him/her wanting more by the end of it.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you surely are missing out on one of the classics.