How Senna star Gabriel Leone’s role in Ferrari prepared him for series

As a fan, I am simply astounded by Gabriel Leone’s incredible journey! Playing two Formula 1 legends back-to-back is like living a real-life racing video game for him. From the narrow Ferraris of the ’50s to the mighty F1 cars of the ’80s, he has truly immersed himself in the world of motorsport.


One might assume that racing for one of Formula 1’s most legendary drivers’ names alone would guarantee success, but Gabriel Leone, in the spotlight after Senna, boasts two titles to his name now.

In addition to the Brazilian McLaren legend, he portrayed Alfonso de Portago, a Ferrari racer from the ’50s, in Michael Mann’s 2023 biographical film titled Ferrari.

Last year, I found it incredibly fascinating to get an almost identical sensation to that of a racer. A year after, I had the chance to emulate one of the greatest drivers in history.

Experiencing the thrill and testing my own limits within a racing driver’s world proved incredibly beneficial, not just for Ferrari, but also for Ayrton Senna.” (This version maintains the original meaning while simplifying the sentence structure for better readability.)

In the projects Leone directed, the driving styles and conditions of the Formula 1 vehicles varied significantly between the two racers involved.

While he did much of his own driving in Ferrari, this wasn’t the case for Senna.

In 1957, Ferrari was established, which meant their early vehicles were significantly smaller. They refurbished these Ferraris, using Caterham’s chassis, the ones we had been training with. Some scenes in the film show me actually driving those cars.

Speaking of Ayrton Senna’s time in the ’80s, Formula One vehicles were noticeably different from what we see today. They were significantly larger and equipped with large wings, making them much more hazardous to navigate. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to drive any Formula 1 cars during that era.

Additionally, Senna utilized LED Studios for the first time during Leone’s production, an aspect that Leone found quite delightful.

“It was another experience for me as an actor to play all of the races in an LED studio,” he said.

I found it quite captivating to see how technology was utilized in this production. Watching the series in an LED studio for the first time was a thrill, especially appreciating the innovative editing techniques used across all the scenes, and the clever application of Computer-Generated Imagery.

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2024-11-28 15:35