Film Reviews

Senna

• Rating:
• Director: Asif Kapadia
• Starring: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Ron Dennis, Nigel Mansell
• Details: UK/France/USA 106mins 12A

A blistering and brilliant documentary on the fastest man to ever sit behind the wheel of a Formula One car, Senna is partly investigative, sometimes heartbreaking and utterly engrossing. Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian racing car driver from a well-off family who first raced competitively in a go cart in the 70s. Realising how much of a natural he was behind the wheel, Senna made his way to Europe in the early 80s and quickly garnered a name for himself in British Formula Three racing. Soon he made the step up to the big leagues and began impressing in races for the Toleman team in Formula One, and was quickly snapped up by Lotus and then, the top team, McClaren. That was the beginning of an epic rivalry between him and teammate, French driver Alain Prost - who was already the two time world champion. An incredible life that was defined by speed and uncharacteristic humility for a racing driver would ultimately end too early in tragedy. Containing not one spouting head, director Asif Kapadia wisely keeps all the talk on Senna's life purely to voiceover, as his remarkable career unfolds skilfully on screen. Taking clips from his races, edited together with some behind the scenes footage and a small amount of home movie stuff, results in a strangely intimate, but pacey feel. Given how fast the doc moves, and the frantic feel of the race footage, Kapadia has still somehow managed to get under the skin of Formula One and the staggering hypocrisy that seemed routed within it. His work here is stirring and smart. Former World Champion Lewis Hamilton recently appeared on an episode of Top Gear and attempted to drive one of Ayrton Senna's old racing cars, before branding it "almost impossible" to get around the track. Even as recently as the 90s these machines didn't have a fraction of the high tech mechanics as they do today, and it’s a testament to his talent and instincts as a driver that he was such a huge success and endeared himself to the world – particularly in his home land of Brazil where he is still a god. If there's one part of this documentary that sums Senna up, it's an interview with legendary British driver Jackie Stewart, himself a champion driver in Formula One. He points out to Senna that he has had more collisions than any other driver, to which the visibly perplexed Senna responds "When you are a racing driver and you no longer go for gaps then you are no longer a racing driver." His answer spoke volumes about the man; as far as he was concerned he didn't have a choice - which was why he shone in rainy conditions. When other drivers took their foot off the pedal, he put his down. A remarkable documentary about a truly extraordinary man, who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan, Pele and any other sporting great you can think of. Go see it.

Review by Mike Sheridan