Tag: Ayrton Senna

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Formula 1 News

SENNA: The movie

Senna: The movie

A dedicated page for the upcoming movie SENNA has now been added to the Working Title Films website. Currently, it’s a basic setup but there is an intro from the writer of the film Manish Pandey. In part, he says, “At the age of 24, he exploded on to the Formula One scene, in the deluge of a street race in Monte Carlo, then spent the next decade as the sport’s brightest star, shattering records, living life on the very edge and fighting the off-track politics which kept him from what he most loved: ‘Pure racing.’”

Back in September we showed you the Japanese preview of the film. That preview was released because a version of the film was shown just before this year’s Japanese Grand Prix. If you have a subscription to autosport you can read Jon Noble’s excellent and inspiring review. Here’s a snippet:

“I confess, I’m in love once more. Formula 1 has pulled my heart strings like it hasn’t done for years. It’s like being a teenager all over again. For just under two hours in Japan earlier this week I was absolutely mesmerised by what I witnessed.

Sitting there transfixed, I experienced almost every emotion under the sun and was left mentally shattered by the end. From laughter and smiling at one moment, I went on a journey that pushed me through intense pride, excitement, fear and also sadness.”

SENNA will have its official world premiere in Brazil on 3 November. The film is expected to be screened elsewhere in the world by the middle of next year. AUSmotive has spoken with Universal Pictures to try and confirm a definite release date for the Australian market. The advice given was to check back in March/April of 2011. As soon as we have a firm date for local release we will let you know.

UPDATE 31 October: Another review for SENNA can be read over at F1 Fanatic. Make sure you read the comments from Manish Pandey.

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Formula 1 News

Ayrton Senna movie preview

Ayrton Senna

A trailer for the upcoming Ayrton Senna movie has been posted to YouTube. You can see the clip after the jump. The movie is sure to be compelling viewing and, as in life, the movie about Senna will most likely polarise opinions, too. On talent alone Senna is clearly one of the best drivers we have ever seen. But he was a complex character. Was he hero or villain?

[Thanks to Micky for the tip]

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Formula 1 News

Ayrton Senna – The movie

Ayrton Senna - The movie

It seems the quest to make a buck from the movie game has extended its reach to the life of Ayrton Senna. Late last year Senna was voted the best driver in the history of Formula One. It was no mug punter poll, either; voting was only open to current and ex-F1 pilots.

So, I guess, if a movie/feature length documentary need be made of an F1 driver Senna may as well be it. The company behind the flick is Working Title, they’ve some solid film making behind them, so from that point of view, at least, Senna’s story is in good hands.

Importantly, the movie has the support of the Senna family. Key F1 heavyweights such as Bernie Eccelstone, Ron Dennis and Sir Frank Williams have also supported the film. All solid signs, then.

James Allen has seen a pre-release cut of the film and has given the production a big wrap, “It is an absolutely fantastic film and I’m sure that not only are F1 fans going to be blown away by it, but it will cross-over into the mainstream with many non F1 fans, especially women, drawn to the poignant human interest story at the heart of it.”

Public release of the film is due in a few months.

[Source: James Allen on F1]

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Honda Video

Watch car go, white sox!

Senna white sox

Apologies for what has to be one of the cheesiest and least successful puns ever on AUSmotive, but, well, those white socks don’t leave a lot to work with. Stand back, though, and you see those white feet belong to the late, great Ayrton Senna. He is at the wheel of the Honda NS-X and is flogging the bejeezus out of it around the Suzuka race track. Got your attention now?

You can see the clip after the jump and learn the art of sportiv driving from the master. Speaking of which, note the Yoda-like inspection of the car prior to Senna’s drive, and the amount of cameras capturing his svelte moves prior to heading out on the track.

Actually, Senna’s mid-corner throttle modulation is very interesting to watch.

[via Steve Pizzati]

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Formula 1 Lotus

It was a marvellous day

Ayrton Senna

Yesterday would have been Ayrton Senna‘s 50th birthday. A fact that came to my attention via autosport.com who honoured the day with an image gallery of Senna’s career. To complement those images there is a YouTube clip after the break featuring Senna talking about his maiden F1 victory, the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix. Senna marked his arrival as a Grand Prix winner in true domineering style, by also claiming pole position and the fastest lap of the race.

Life in F1 was so much simpler then, as the footage shows. And a few years later you were either in the Alain Prost corner, or the Ayrton Senna corner. I was, and am, still very much in the Prost corner, ‘The Professor’ remains my favourite driver of all time. That said, I still recall the sadness I felt as I watched Senna’s accident on 1 May 1994—a date forever etched in my mind—and later learned of his untimely death.

Approaching sixteen years since his passing it is clear Senna still holds the respect of his peers, a fact highlighted by being voted the best driver of all time in a poll of over 200 former and current F1 drivers. May he rest in peace.

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Formula 1

F1 drivers name Senna greatest of all time

Autosport.com greatest F1 drivers of all time

Autosport.com has taken on one of the most ambitious F1 polls of all time to discover who is recognised as the sport’s greatest ever driver. To establish the list they went straight to the source, the drivers themselves, asking 217 racers to list their top 10 greatest drivers. The definition of “greatest” was left to each individual.

The top three drivers won’t come as any surprise, although debate on their final rankings is likely to continue for years to come. There have been 60 World Championship seasons and the top three drivers account for 16 titles between them. An astonishing stat in itself.

As with any poll, controversy is never too far away. And perhaps it is no surprise that the most questionable results concern current drivers. Four active drivers made the list, with two-time champion Fernando Alonso finishing inside the top 10, in 9th place. 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton finds a home in 17th. Sebastien Vettel may be the sport’s youngest ever race winner, but with only three fully completed seasons behind him, even he would raise his eyebrows at being ranked the 26th greatest driver of all time. Reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button fills 30th place. It is worth noting that WRC-convert Kimi Raikkonen is ranked 22nd in the poll.

Since the World Championship era began in 1950 a total of 32 drivers have been crowned champion. However, winning a world title was not an automatic entry to this exclusive group. In all five World Champions missed out—Mike Hawthorn (1958), Denny Hulme (1967), Jody Sheckter (1979), Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (1997).

Stirling Moss (8th) was the highest ranked driver not to win a World Championship, with Ronnie Peterson (19th) the only other driver in the top half of the ranking not to have a title next to his name. Phil Hill (33rd) is the lowest ranked World Champion.

Great Britain is represented more times than any other country, with nine drivers making the grade. While Australia’s two champions earned enough votes to make the final cut—Jack Brabham (18th) and Alan Jones (31st).

The full list is available after the jump. Let the debate continue.

[Source: Autosport.com | Thanks to Mat for the tip]

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