The real stories of Senna Series – Episode 4

Data:
10 de December de 2024

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Tempo de leitura:

5 minutos

Attention: from now on, you will read information that describes some moments from the series.

Episode 4 of the Netflix series “Senna” opens with the driver’s appearance on the show “Xou da Xuxa”, which indeed took place at the end of the 1988 season, following his first Formula 1 World Championship title with McLaren.

Episode 4 – Passion

In one of the scenes where Senna jokingly asks Xuxa who had told her about his presence, the driver says: “It was the parrot, right?”—referring to Galvão Bueno. This was, in fact, the nickname Ayrton used for the TV Globo commentator, who later revealed on Senna TV some behind-the-scenes stories from that time and the origin of the nickname, explaining that he “talked too much”:

Despite having a packed schedule with races around the world, Senna made the most of every moment during his stays in Brazil. The scenes showing him having fun on a jet ski are inspired by one of Senna’s favorite hobbies.

While Episode 4 may start on a light note, viewers quickly notice the tension within McLaren in 1989. This season undoubtedly marks the peak of the rivalry between Senna and Prost, as they fought for the title while sharing the same team environment.

The beginning of their battle is precisely portrayed in the series during the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix. Prost accused Senna of overtaking on the first lap, breaking a “gentlemen’s agreement.” The Brazilian argued that, since it was a restart, they were already free to compete.

From that race onwards, mistrust ran high, and the team was completely divided. Senna’s mechanical failure in Monza, where he was comfortably leading, complicated his championship chances. As a result, Prost arrived at Suzuka with the advantage of securing the title either by winning or if neither driver finished the race.

Senna took pole position, but Prost seized the lead. As depicted in the series, the two remained close throughout the race, and when Senna attempted to overtake, Prost steered his McLaren into the Brazilian’s car. The collision ensured Prost would be champion. However, Senna managed to return to the track despite the damage, replaced the nose of his McLaren, overtook Alessandro Nannini’s Benetton, and won the race.

Yet, as shown in Episode 4, a long delay in forming the podium hinted that something was happening behind the scenes. Senna was disqualified for “cutting the track” when he reentered after the collision through the inside of the chicane—the “correct” way would have been to drive against the flow of traffic to rejoin where he had exited after the contact with Prost. The atmosphere of outrage was widespread among fans and McLaren itself, but the decision ultimately secured the Frenchman’s third championship.

Telemetry data from Prost’s McLaren later showed that the Frenchman had no intention of making the chicane turn and instead aimed to take Senna out of the race. Senna’s reentry to the track was also the safest and most recommended option—but this is a topic for an important real-life scene, also depicted in Episode 5…

Article originally produced for the website Senna.com by Rodrigo França.

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