Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Senna’ is a biographical drama miniseries that follows the life and career of Ayrton Senna, one of the most iconic names in F1 racing. The series tracks his journey from his childhood to his meteoric rise in the racing world, complemented by the many ups and downs in his journey. In all the challenges posed his way, Senna sees an opportunity and makes well-thought-out decisions that impact the course of his career. One of those things was changing his name from Da Silva to Senna in the racing world.
The Changing of the Name Had a Strategic Value
The world of racing, specifically Formula One, is one of the most competitive ones in the world. Establishing a name for oneself requires the person to deal with all sorts of things, including the media and the way their image is portrayed through it. Ayrton Da Silva was acutely aware of this. His whole world was racing; this was the only thing he’d worked for his entire life. This is why he knew how important it was to have the right image, but more importantly, to have the right name with which you would be known.
Da Silva is one of the most common names in Brazil, and Ayrton kept that name in the early stages of his career. But when he made a comeback after a brief break, he decided to go ahead with Senna instead. The name wasn’t something he pulled out of thin air. In fact, it was his mother’s maiden name that highlighted his Italian heritage. The Netflix series briefly touches upon this when Ayrton makes a short trip to Piedmont to get the engine of his car replaced before a decisive race. Following this, he and his mother have a little chat about his maternal grandfather, who immigrated to Brazil from Italy years ago and entered uncharted territories, much like what Ayrton was doing now with Formula One. Keeping in touch with his background, Ayrton learned Italian and was fluent in it, just as he was fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
The thing that set “Senna” apart was the distinctive nature of the name. Compared to Da Silva, it was rather uncommon and would make him more recognizable. His decision proved right when he established a stellar career as an F1 driver. He became such an iconic figure that “Senna” became a single name, not needing any elaboration on who it belonged to, like Madonna, Beyonce, or Elvis. If one were talking about Senna, they were talking about Ayrton Senna Da Silva. This shows that Ayrton Senna had a keen foresight about the things around him, especially when it came to the world of racing, making his decision a calculated step rather than something he did on a whim.
Read More: Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza: Where is Ayrton Senna’s Ex-Wife Now?
