In May 2024, I got chills, literal chills watching the teaser of the new docuseries about Senna… and had to write about it, as usual.
In this post, I’ll share:
The inspiration behind crafting a lesson about the iconic racer,
The educational aims of the activities, and
A brief review of Netflix’s much-anticipated production.
Shall we? Let’s go!
Why Focus on Ayrton Senna in a Lesson?
For those of us who grew up in Brazil during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ayrton Senna is far more than a Formula 1 legend—he’s a cultural phenomenon. His extraordinary career, vibrant personality, and enduring legacy captured hearts long before his untimely passing.
Indeed, many of us still recall Senninha, the animated persona modelled on Senna, who brought his charisma to life for children.
Inspired by the trailer, I quickly designed a lesson for Intermediate-level students to celebrate the life of the athlete and to foster engaging discussions.
Objectives of the Lesson
This lesson aims to:
Encourage thoughtful discussion about Senna’s impact on popular culture and motorsport,
Introduce and practise vocabulary specific to motor racing, and
Develop students’ understanding and use of superlative adjectives.
To achieve these goals, I used a variety of genres, including:
the official teaser trailer,
clips from interviews and documentaries,
YouTube comments, and
news reports about Senna.
The discussions were lively, with adult learners sharing their own memories and reactions. The lesson proved to be as inspiring as its subject matter.
Does the Series Live Up to My Expectations?
In a word: absolutely.
The docuseries captures Senna’s essence beautifully. The casting is outstanding—characters like Xuxa, Nelson Piquet, and Niki Lauda are remarkably true to life. The storyline, while familiar to long-time fans, is emotionally compelling and carefully paced. As for the visual effects, they’re so seamless that you hardly notice them.
That said, the series is, of course, a cinematic interpretation and takes some creative liberties. Personally, I would have loved to see more emphasis on certain pivotal moments in Senna’s career. For instance, his courageous actions in potentially saving Erik Coma’s life or the rivalry with Piquet could have been explored further.
By the way, if you’re a fan of Xuxa, you’re in for a treat—one entire episode tackles her relationship with Senna.
Ready to Share with Your Students?
Click here to access the complete lesson material— it’s free to use and fully customisable to suit your teaching context. Whether you opt for the PDF or the Google Slides version, the latter allows students to type their responses directly into the document.
A few quick notes
This resource is intended solely for educational purposes.
Please ensure proper credit is given and that the sources of the selected texts are clearly cited.
And if you use this material, I’d love to hear your feedback! Sharing ideas and experiences is what keeps our teaching community thriving.
Until next time! (:
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