Alain Prost (Left) sprays champagne as Ayrton Senna, (Right) celebrates winning the Iceberg United States Grand Prix on 10th March 1990 at the Phoenix street course in Phoenix, United States. (Photo: Getty Images)

“Fans of Formula One racing will know at once that this is a film about the legendary Brazilian Ayrton Senna, considered by some to be the greatest driver who ever lived. A boy genius behind the wheel, capable of pushing cars beyond their capacity, Senna won 33 races and three Grand Prix titles before dying in a crash in 1994 at age 34.

“Told solely through the use of archival footage, Senna is bursting with great racing sequences, many dealing with his bitter rivalry with French champion Alain Prost. But what makes this film so riveting is the remarkable personality of the man himself.

“Someone who just flat-out loved to drive, Senna was a purist who had complete disdain for the politics that had to be played in the cliquish Formula One world. Though he drove like the devil, he was a spiritual person who believed deeply and profoundly in a higher power. A philosophical mystic with a jewel thief's nerves and a poet's sensitivity (and good looks), Senna was an altogether remarkable human being.”

I also found something on a website called www.hitfix.com that hit the nail on the head: “The reason Senna will benefit from its presence in Park City is that this is one place where ‘acclaimed foreign documentary’ trumps ‘adrenaline-fueled story of one of the greatest race car drivers ever.’ People who think Senna is a laxative might find Robert Redford's seal of approval a viable reason to stand in line in the cold.”

That’s the point – this is much more than a movie for followers of Grand Prix racing. You don’t have to be a boxing fan to enjoy When We Were Kings, the Ali/Foreman film that won the 1996 best documentary Oscar. It’s just a great story, expertly told.

My SPEED is devoted to the passionate fans who celebrate motorcycles, motorsports and the automotive lifestyle.

Having said that, Senna will surely do nothing but good for the sport Stateside in terms of getting people interested, and with the Austin event coming in 2012, that’s no bad thing.

Judging for Sundance concludes later this week. Senna might not win its category – it’s up against a lot of very worthy films with heavyweight themes – but it has already gathered some momentum.

The good news is that while Variety suggested that the best option for the film is to go straight to cable, you should still get a chance to see it on a big screen, which is where it belongs. Writer/producer Manish Pandey told me today that “...we are not taking the cable route. We will find a good way to get it to US cinemas.”

In other words, if you haven’t been able to make it to Utah this week, be patient!

Adam Cooper notched up his 26th season as a racing journalist in 2010. Born in London, England, he saw his first F1 race at age 10 in 1976. He began freelancing for Autosport magazine in 1985 and was on the fulltime staff from 1987-92. He then went freelance again, initially spending two years in Japan before following the 1994 Champcar series from a base in Indianapolis. He has not missed a Grand Prix since Suzuka ‘94, a run that has extended to Abu Dhabi ’10. Adam has written books about Eddie Irvine, Piers Courage and Michael Schumacher. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED