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Ayrton Senna will be brought to the screen in Netflix’s miniseriesSenna, played by Gabriel Leone. The actor earlier played the role of racing driver Alfonso de Portago in Michael Mann’sFerrari. The film follows the life of Senna from the beginning of his career to the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Senna met a tragic end during the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy in 1994 when his car collided with a concrete wall at high speed. The crash occurred when he was leading in the seventh lap. The incident happened a day after fellow driver Roland Ratzenberger met a similar fate when he struck a concrete wall during the second qualifying session.
The new series hits the streamer on November 29. The life of the racing champion was earlier covered in the 2010 BAFTA-winning documentary filmSenna. Apart from this heart-wrenching story, there are several other films that discuss the thrill and tragedy in the racing tracks.
Grand Prix(1966)
Grand Prixgets its place in this list not only as one of the first movies dealing withFormula One racingbut also as a technically brilliant film. John Frankenheimer’s film explored the fate of four Formula One drivers in the fictionalized 1966 season.
The film had an ensemble cast from international cinema, with James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabàto playing the lead roles. Frankenheimer ran into production troubles as soon as he started filming. Iconic Hollywood actor-director duo, Steve McQueen and John Sturges planned to make a similar themed movie (via The Guardian).
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They entered into an exclusive contract with the German Nürburgring race track (via Motor Sport Magazine). The contract forced Frankenheimer to turn over 27 reels filmed in that track. However, McQueen’s racing filmLe Manssaw the light of day only in 1971.
The production team sought help from Grand Prix drivers like Dan Gurney, Carroll Shelby, and former World Champion Phil Hill. Gurney and Hill made appearances in the film. The team used these drivers to connect to Ferrari, who was initially skeptical about the project. Frankenheimer put together 30 minutes of footage and used it to convince the company’s management to allow them to film inside Ferrari’s production floor.
Grand Prixwas a box office success, earning $20.8 million from a $9 million budget (via The Numbers). The film was widely discussed among movie buffs, thanks to its unique racing cinematography. The film won three Oscars for Best Sound Effects, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.
Grand Prixis now available for rent on AppleTV.
Days of Thunder(1990)
Tom Cruise‘s NASCAR racing film probably didn’t receive its due appreciation when it was released in 1990.Critics gave a mixed receptionand the box office for the film, with its Cruise factor, was just not that great. However, the film sure had some memorable elements that even prompted Paramount to pitch a reboot TV show once.
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Real NASCAR racers like Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, and Harry Gant made appearances in the film. The film explored Cruise’s character Cole Trickle, a young racer trying to make a name for himself in NASCAR. TheMission: Impossibleactor’s character was patterned after racer Tim Richmond, while Robert Duvall’s crew chief character was patterned after Harry Hyde.
Both Cruise and Duvall received praises for their performances in the film. The film also featured Cruise’s ex-wifeNicole Kidmanin the female lead role. The main issue for critics were its obvious similarities toTop Gun, director Tony Scott’s previous film with Cruise. The film grossed $157 million against a budget of $60 million (via LA Times).
The film has received renewed attention afterTHRreported in November 2024 that Tom Cruise is looking to make a sequel for the film. A studio insider shared that the actor was“talking [to Paramount] about Top Gun and Days of Thunder.”Cruise is reportedly considering scripts from potential writers.
Days of Thunderis now available for streaming on Paramount+.
Death Race 2000(1975)
Death Race 2000is one film that leans more into the fantasy element of the racing world. The film set in a dystopian world explores the Transcontinental Road Race, where participants has to score points by killing people and fellow competitors. Modern fans may recall this as the theme of theJason Stathamfilm,Death Race. The 2008 film was a remake of the 1975 film.
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Death Race 2000was a widely misunderstood film until fans recognized the film for what it is. The film is now considered a political and social satire and received a strong cult following. Apart from the remake and multiple sequels to that remake, the film also spawned a direct-to-video sequel in 2017.
David Carradine starred as the central character, known as“Frankenstein”. Before he became famous forRocky,Sylvester Stalloneplayed“Machine Gun”Joe Viterbo in this film. According toAFI, the film made $5.1 million in the United States against a budget of under $1 million.
Death Race 2000is now available for streaming on Tubi.
Ford v Ferrari(2019)
Carroll Shelby was one of the Formula One drivers who helped with the production ofGrand Prix. In the 2019 filmFord v Ferrari,Matt Damonplayed the role of Shelby whileChristian Baleplayed the race car driver Ken Miles. The film portrayed how Shelby, as an automotive designer played a crucial role in helping Henry Ford’s company surpass the then-dominant Ferrari brand in the racing world.
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The James Mangold film recounts the intense rivalry between the two car companies as they vie for victory at Le Mans in 1966. Shelby and Miles try to develop a Ford GT40 Mk I to use in the race against Ferrari. The film wasinitially supposed to feature Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, with Joseph Kosinski set to direct the film (via THR). However, it was eventually dropped after the budget was deemed too high.
Ford v Ferraripremiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was later released in theaters by 20th Century Fox. According toBox Office Mojo, it grossed $225.5 million. The film was praised by critics for its direction, editing, sound design, and racing sequences. Damon and Bale were considered the right casting for their respective roles. At the 92nd Academy Awards, the film won Best Flim Editing and Best Sound Editing.
Ford v Ferrariis now available for streaming on Hulu.
Rush(2013)
Rushis perhaps the best racing-related movie out there mainly because of the story it chose to tell in the film. The famous rivalry between British Formula One driver James Hunt and Austrian driver Niki Lauda itself had all the elements of a cinematic story. In the 1976 motor racing season, the two drivers managed to keep F1 fans on the edge of their seats.
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Marvel stars Daniel Brühl andChris Hemsworthplayed the roles of Lauda and Hunt. Brühl was brilliant in portraying the different sides of Lauda: his cool calculating nature, his fear of vulnerabilities after marriage, and his struggles after the horrible accident. Hemsworth played the brash, confident Hunt pretty easily, while also showing Hunt’s guilt-ridden side.
The film was written by Peter Morgan and directed by Ron Howard. When the film began production,Hemsworth and Brühl couldn’t drive real F1 cars. It was reported that they drove Formula 3 vehicles which were disguised as F1 cars in the film. The film sure had some historical inaccuracies in it, but the overall dramatization added to the viewer’s enjoyment (via Empire).
The film grossed $98.2 million against a budget of $38 million (via The Numbers). Critics were happy with the film, though it didn’t receive much accolades like the other entries in this list.
Rushis now available for rent on AppleTV.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
