“I still don’t know how we got away with it,” says Oscar winner Brad Pitt about F1 The Movie, a high-octane racing film he describes as “the most visceral driving experience that’s ever been put on film.” Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), the movie thrusts Pitt and co-star Damson Idris into real Formula 1 cars, filming them at blistering speeds on actual Grand Prix tracks.
“The forces in these cars—the high-speed corners—the physics of it all want to rip your head from your shoulders,” Pitt says. “It’s shocking what these cars can do, and it’s a high unlike any I’ve ever experienced. We just couldn’t capture it any other way.”
In F1 The Movie, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former racing prodigy whose career was derailed by a near-fatal crash in the 1990s. Decades later, he’s a drifting racer-for-hire when his ex-teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) recruits him to save a failing F1 team. Paired with hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Idris), Sonny must confront his past while battling the brutal reality that in Formula 1, your teammate is often your biggest rival—and redemption is a team sport.
Pitt believes the film strikes a rare balance, equally thrilling for die-hard F1 fans and newcomers alike. “Threading that needle was the biggest challenge, but I think we’ve done it—made it enlightening for newcomers without dumbing it down for ultra fans. It’s funny, aggressive, driving, and surprisingly heartwarming. I love these characters. This film is so damn entertaining on so many levels.”
The project began when Kosinski, inspired by Netflix’s Drive to Survive, envisioned an underdog story set in F1’s cutthroat world. To ensure authenticity, he enlisted seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer. “I wanted to make the most authentic racing film ever,” Kosinski says. “Lewis said yes, and suddenly we were embedded in the real F1 circus.”
Hamilton, a lifelong racing fan, was adamant about realism. “From the start, Joe and Jerry emphasized authenticity—not just for new fans, but for those like me who’ve lived this sport. This had to be the real deal.”
With high-speed drama, fierce rivalries, and unexpected heart, F1 The Movie delivers a ride as intense as the sport itself. Experience the thrill—now in cinemas.
Photo & Video Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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