- Netflix’s six-episode series “Senna” is a fictional retelling of F1 driver Ayrton Senna’s life.
- The show follows his rise to fame and his death at the San Marino GP in 1994.
- F1 reporter Laura Harrison isn’t based on a real person, but she serves a key purpose.
Famed Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna’s life and career is the subject of Netflix’s latest limited series “Senna.”
The six-episode scripted show, starring Gabriel Leone as the titular character, chronicles Senna’s early years in karting, his triumphs as a three-time Formula 1 world champion, and his fatal crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
The series includes many of the notable people in Senna’s life, like his family members, his rivals, and key Formula 1 figures. However, the show also introduces a fictional character, a journalist named Laura Harrison (Kaya Scodelario).
Here’s how she fits into the story.
Laura Harrison is a reporter who meets Ayrton Senna during his days racing in Formula Ford
Netflix
When Senna moves from Brazil to England to compete in Formula Ford, he catches the attention of Laura Harrison, a reporter for the Norfolk Express.
She first interviews Senna after he wins his first Formula Ford race and tells him that he’s talented, but he seems to have a more aggressive driving style than other drivers. Harrison’s story about Senna’s rivalry with Enrique Mansilla subsequently makes the front page of the Norfolk Express.
As Senna progresses in motorsport, Harrison also makes moves in her career. By the time Senna reaches Formula 3, Harrison has become a reporter at Autosport, a real magazine focused on motorsport news.
The show doesn’t spend much time on her backstory, aside from a quick comment about being fluent in Portuguese because her mom is Brazilian and a later mention that she has a British husband. She and her husband have a daughter named Claire, but by episode three, the pair have divorced, and Harrison juggles her job as a reporter with her co-parenting duties.
She and Senna continue to run into each other when Senna embarks on his career as a Formula 1 driver.
Their dynamic remains purely professional, with Laura observing the behind-the-scenes drama from the sidelines, getting exclusive scoops, and writing unbiased cover stories for Autosport. After Harrison writes one story in which Senna’s rival and McLaren teammate Alain Prost calls the Brazilian driver a “traitor,” Senna distances himself from her.
Laura Harrison isn’t based on any real-life people that Senna knew
Alan Roskyn/Netflix
Years after publishing the story, Harrison starts working on a piece about Senna’s career.
The weekend of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Harrison gives Senna a tape recording with one final question for her article: “Thirty years after getting your first go-kart from your dad, 10 years in Formula 1, three world championships, why do you keep racing?
Senna records his response to Harrison and has the tape recorder sent back to her. Then he dies during a crash that occurs on the track during the Imola GP.
After his death, Senna’s parents, Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna, listen to his tape recording, where he explains his passion for the sport and why he never stopped racing.
Although there’s no real-life equivalent of Harrison, she serves as an amalgamation of the reporters and journalists who followed Senna’s superstardom.
Within the Netflix series’ narrative, Harrison represents the media’s role in Senna’s career and helps to neatly tie up the show in a way that pays homage to his achievements.
All episodes of “Senna” are streaming on Netflix.
