Netflix used some incredible skill and craft to painstakingly recreate 22 Formula 1 cars for a new series about Ayrton Senna.
The streaming giant meticulously crafted a whole grid of lookalike cars alongside an Argentinian sports car manufacturer in order to film the show.
That meant that they could be modified to bring the experience of speeding around an F1 track straight to the viewer, figuratively and metaphorically putting them in the driver’s seat.
Of course, this took a lot of know-how and elbow grease, but – as you’ll see when the show releases – the results are nothing short of staggering.
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Ayrton Senna remains one of the most revered and popular drivers in racing history, even 30 years after his untimely death.
Known for his bravery, skill, and determination, he was loved by his fellow drivers and fans alike.
So, it was only a matter of time before the three-time world champion got the TV treatment, and Netflix jumped at the chance to dramatize Senna’s life, buying up the rights in 2020.
Recreating the F1 grid from the days of Ayrton Senna
Obviously, getting the F1 cars from the early 1990s back on the track together would have been expensive, troublesome, and – let’s face it – impossible.
After all, it’s not like these things just show up abandoned on a farm or anything.
That meant that the folks making this miniseries had to get creative.
They drafted in Argentinian manufacturer Crespi to help, and they brought their own expertise to the project to recreate the cars as faithfully as possible whilst making them easy to film with.
It’s commonplace for cars to be specially modified for filming, just like this amazing Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds.
Each of the cars was built from drawings and scans of the OG vehicles, and some of the chassis built were interchangeable with the different bodyworks, meaning that the time spent filming was optimized.
Just don’t expect these cars to be lapping the track as fast as their Formula 1 cousins, but there’s a good reason for that too.
Netflix and thrill
If the cars were traveling at the speed of Formula 1 cars, it would have been almost impossible to film them in the way they wanted.
Once it was determined what speeds would make the filming look realistic, the cars were designed specifically to match that.
It looks as if the cars have a four-cylinder engine and – presumably – can’t recreate the sort of downforce or aerodynamics of their counterparts on the real track, unlike the jaw-dropping McLaren W1.
Still, they look fantastic, and that’s the main thing – all of the roaring sounds and G-forces will be added in later.
The actors had to be prepared too, with each ‘driver’ going through a racing school and some karting before taking on the role.
Gabriel Leone, who plays Ayrton Senna, has a bit of pedigree, having featured as Alfonso de Portago in 2023’s Ferrari.
It’s believed that the series will focus on Senna’s early career, his life in Formula Ford in the early 1980s, through to his glory days in Formula 1 the following decade.
The series is set to be released on Netflix on November 29, 2024.
