Out Now - Senna

Growing up watching Formula 1, I was aware I was watching a genius at work in the shape of Ayrton Senna. While I was watching the sport on the BBC the slant was towards Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill and the Jordan team, but Senna was the one who stood out. I even had his game Super Monaco GP II on the mega drive where his voice would appear to say "Final Lap" near the end of each race, which after his death in 1994 became somewhat poignant. Of course as a child I didn't fully appreciate the man and why he was so special, I just liked him because he was the best.

Now director Asif Kapadia has released a documentary which uses only archive footage and the audio from interviews with some of the people who knew him best to tell the story of a national and international icon and show all the complexities about him and his situation. The documentary reveals fairly early on he was a deeply religious and spiritual man so the money-soaked, over-political world of Formula 1 racing was not an easy fit for him. It's also interesting that this film is released around the same that the corruption in FIFA is in the news.

His bitter rivalry with Alain Prost is shown in intense detail as is some of the criticism he faced from people from within the sport for his refusal to do what he was told and also his need to try and win every race no matter what the risks. The final part of the film is massively emotional and heartbreaking where it deals with the final weekend of his life where he was tragically killed in the Imola Grand Prix of 1994, and will make you cry.

Go see it.



Now Showing in the IFI and Cineworld Parnell Street