Netflix has announced Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone will play the role of Ayrton Senna in its upcoming dramatisation of his life.
Leone, 29, was born the year before Senna died in a crash during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. He rose to fame for his role in Dom, a Brazilian television series produced by Amazon. The announcement of his casting was made on what would have been Senna’s 63rd birthday.
He is also due to appear in another upcoming motorsport film. Leone has been cast in Michael Mann’s film Ferrari as Alfonso de Portago, the first Spanish driver to finish on the podium in Formula 1. De Portago died along with his co-driver and 10 spectators when he crashed during the Mille Miglia sports car race in 1957.
Netflix, which also screens the popular F1 series Drive to Survive, announced its plans for a fictionalised drama about the life of Senna in 2020. Originally announced as an eight-part series which would appear in 2022, the production has been delayed and cut back to six episodes.
Senna made his F1 debut in 1984 and won the world championship with McLaren three times between 1988 and 1991. He moved to Williams in 1994 but was killed in his third appearance for the team.
Netflix said its Senna series “will give fans the chance to cross the finish line not with Senna, but with Beco or Becão, the driver’s affectionate nicknames among friends and family.
“More than just remembering remarkable moments in his career, the miniseries is an invitation to explore the personality and family relationships of the three-time F1 champion.”
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