These are the cars of Netflix’s “Senna” mini-series

To make a mini-series about the life of F1 legend Ayrton Senna, Netflix needed a fleet of replica F1 race cars.

To populate its small-screen grids, the streaming service turned to Argentina’s Crespis, which built 22 cars for the series, a video released ahead of “Senna’s” premiere explains. These included replicas of every car the triple F1 champion raced, from a Formula Ford, to the Toleman TG184 in which the Brazilian made his F1 debut, to the Williams FW16 he fatally crashed in at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Each car was built specifically for filming, with bespoke engines, as well as suspension and other components tailored to the way cars were expected to be driven in each sequence. So, like other television or movie cars, while the “Senna” cars might look the part, they likely perform quite differently to their real-world counterparts.

Making them sound like real 1980s and 1990s F1 cars was important, though. Lapel microphones were placed close to the engines, and supplemented by trackside microphones.

Actors went through two or three karting sessions a week to prepare for their roles. This not only helped get into the mindset of a racing driver, but also provided important practice for getting in and out of the tight cockpits, Matt Mella, who plays Senna’s rival Alain Prost in the series, says in the video.

Described as semi-fictional, “Senna” starts in the early days of its namesake’s international racing career, following his life on and off the track through his three world championships to his 1994 death. It airs on Netflix Nov. 29.