SENNA

“STUNNING” DAILYMAIL

“THRILLING, DEEPLYCOMPELLING” EMPIRE

“EXHILARARING” GUARDIAN

“UNDENIABLY EMOTIONAL” TIMEOUT

“RIVETING” LOADED

SENNA:THELEGENDINHISOWNWORDSAs the film shows at the Sheffield Doc/Fest, Glen Ferris talks to director Asif Kapadia about the challenges of bringing the F1 legend to the big screen…

You’ve avoided the usual documentary format of talking heads and instead sifted through what must have been thousands of hours of newsreel, home movies and in-car camera footage. How did you get hold of all of it and how long did it take you?Intotal,it’stakenusaboutsixyearstomakethisfilm,I’vebeenonitforaboutfouryears.Werealisedquiteearlyonthatgettingfootagewasnotgoingtobeaproblem–therewasplenty.WhatIdidn’trealisewashowhugehewasinBrazil,evenbeforehegottoFormulaOne.HewashugeinJapan,too,becauseheusedaHondaengine.Sohewasalwaysbeingfollowedbysomeonewithacamera.

Do you need to be a petrolhead to enjoy this?Ihaveabackgroundindramadirectionandmyjobwastomakethisintoafilmthatwouldappealtopeoplewhoaren’tfansofF1,ordon’tknowwhoSennais.Theideawastonotusetheclassicdocumentary-makingdevices,liketalkingheadsorvoiceovers.Hewassobrilliantatexpressinghimself,wedecidedtojustlethimtellhisownstory.

How did you decide what to show and what not?Thebiggestchallengewasgettingitallin.Thefirstcutwehadwassevenhourslongandthesecondwasfivehourslong.WegotitdowntotwohourswhichIthoughtwasgreatbutwestillhadtoloseanother15minutestogetarelease.

Did that mean you had to leave a lot of his story untold?WehadtofindscenesthatwereexcitingbutthatalsotoldussomethingaboutSenna’scharacterbecausewewantedthefilmtohaveaclassicthree-actstructure,thehero’sjourney.Butwehadtotellthisstorywithfootagethatalreadyexisted.ItwasalmostlikeadetectivestoryaswehuntedforfootageinJapan,SaoPauloandItaly.

Senna’s still worshipped in the F1 paddock – Lewis Hamilton wears a yellow helmet in tribute. What made him so influential? Asaracingdriverhehadthemostessentialvalues–hewasthebest,hewasthefastest,hewontheWorldChampionship,hediditleadingfromthefrontandhewouldtakeonanyone.He

‘HEWASSOBRILLIANTATEXPRESSINGHIMSELF,WEDECIDEDTOJUSTLETHIMTELLHISOWNSTORY’

‘HEWASSPECIAL,HEHADTHEWEIGHTOFEXPECTATIONOF200MILLIONBRAZILIANSONHISSHOULDERS.’

waslike,‘I’mcomingthrough.Ifyoudon’tgetoutofthewaywe’regoingtohaveanaccident,soyoumayaswellgetoutoftheway.’

Theothersideisthecaringside;themanwhocaredabouttheotherdrivers’safety.Hewasalwaysarguingwith[theFIAhead]Jean-MarieBalestreaboutsafety.I’veseenfootagewherehe’sarguingforthesafetyofyoungdriversminutesbeforeabiggrandprix.

Hewasspecial,hehadtheweightofexpectationof200millionBraziliansonhisshoulders.Hemeantalottosomanypeopleandalltheselayerscometogethertomakehimreallyinterestingandspecial.

What do you think is Senna’s most enduring legacy?Ithinksafetyisthebigone.IthinkifithadjustbeenRolandRatzenburgerwhohaddied[inImolain1994]Idon’tknowifanythingwouldhavechanged.ButthefactthatSennaalsodiedandhediednotbecausehemadeamistakebutbecausesomethingwentwrong,that’swhenpeoplerealisedthatthingshadtochange.

Sothecarschanged,thehelmetschanged,thetrackschanged,everythingchanged.ProfessorSidWatkins,Senna’sbestfriend,hadtomakeallthesechanges.That’shisbiggestlegacybecause,touchwood,nodrivershavediedsince.

Is it also true that Senna’s influence transcended sport?HehelpedtochangetheperceptionofBrazil.Nowit’sapowerfulnationwiththeWorldCupandtheOlympicscomingup,butatthatpointtheywereinabadway,havingjustcomeoutofadictatorship.Hegavethemhope.IthinktheinspirationhegavetoBraziliansiswhatwe’vetriedtocaptureinourfilm,peoplewhopreviouslyhaveneverheardofSennacomeoutofthefilmalittlebitinlovewithhim.

In the film, Senna is depicted as being something of a lone wolf. How far did Ayrton need other people around him?Whenhecamein,hefelthimselftobeabitofanoutsider–hewastakingonaFrenchestablishment.YouseethatinhisfirstMonacoGrandPrixagainstaFrenchman[AlainProst].Bythetimewegettohimbeingatriple-worldchampionandbeingfriendswithGerhardBerger,hewastheestablishment:hewastheoneeverybodylookedupto.ButBergertaughthimtolaugh,taughthimtolightenupabitbecauseSennawasalwayssointense.Bythetimewegotto1994andImola,he’sthebestdriverinthebestcarandthat’shisjourney.

REVIEWTimRobery,Telegraph

Sennabeginsquietly,withoutforeshadowingorbombast,orIcarusanalogies,ortalkingheads.There’sonlyauralcommentaryfromthosewhoknewAyrtonSenna,themagicallyconfidentBrazilianFormula1driverwhoarrivedonthescenein1984.Hisrisewasmeteoric,butthisgreatdocumentarystaysgrounded,followinghiscareerpathwithsteadyintrospection,racebyrace,seasonbyseason.There’snowayAsifKapadia’smoviecouldfailtosatisfyracingfans,particularlythosewhoremembertheheadydaysofSenna’sascendancy.Thenarrativeisjusttoostrong,particularlytheclashofsensibilitieswithhisgreatrivalAlainProst,icetoSenna’sfire;thecockpitfootagethroughchicanesanddog-legs,muchofitpreviouslyunseen,putsusineachfraughtmoment.TheshapingofSenna’sstoryissomethodicalandcontainedthatitachievesamournfulscope.Kapadiaandthefilm’swriter,ManishPandey,knowthatmerelydeclaringhowspecialtheirsubjectwasisthestuffofordinaryhagiography.Instead,theysetaboutprovingit.

Senna,astheypresenthimtous,wasacombustiblemix:superficiallyfearless,yetrackedbyinnerdoubt.Hesoaredabovethesport’spoliticsonthetrack,butwasmiredinthemsofrequentlyoffitthathesometimesconsidered

throwinginthetowel.Thiswasn’tpossible.Hewasawizardintherain,whichcametohisrescueinkeyraceslikeabenedictionfromabove.KapadiaandPandeydon’tbelabourhisfaith,butnonethelessmanagetomakeitintegraltoourunderstandingoftheman.Andeveryoneoftheirinterviewees,fromMcLarenbossRonDennis,tohissisterViviane,toSidWatkins,theon-trackmedicalchiefwhobecamehisfriend,revealsavulnerableorquixoticsidetohispersonality.Likeallmemorablesportingicons,Sennawasamagnetfordrama.HisrelationshipwithProstfascinates,asmuchfortheshiftingbodylanguage,whichcouldgofromjoshingtocut-it-with-a-knifecold,asfortheircombativemanoeuvringstoclinchraces.HefacedanevenfrostiernemesisintheshapeofFrenchFIApresidentJean-MarieBalestre,withhisBond-villainglasses,oddfinger-stabbings,andobstructiverulings,whichcametobeviewedbySennaasthestuffofvendetta.Kapadianavigatesthiswithanimpressivelyshrewdholdontone,buttherealtestofhisfilm’smettleistheclimax.Shatteringinthegentlestway,editedwithrarecare,it’sanaffirmationofallthebondsSennaforgedinhislife—withhisfamily,colleagues,thepeopleofBrazil.Toemergeunmovedisjustaboutinconceivable.

CREDITSAsif Kapadi DirectorManish Pandey Writer

Debra Hayward ExecutiveProducerEric Fellner ProducerJames Gay-Rees ProducerKevin Macdonald ExecutiveProducerLiza Chasin ExecutiveProducerManish Pandey ExecutiveProducerTim Bevan ProducerVictoria Gregory LineProducer

Ayrton Senna

Alain Prost Frank Williams Galvão Bueno Gerhard Berger Jackie Stewart Jean-Marie Balestre Milton da Silva Neide Senna Nelson Piquet Nigel Mansell ReginaldoLemeRon Dennis Sid Watkins Viviane Senna

AYRTON

SheffieldDocumentaryFestival