F1: The Movie Everything You Need to Know as Formula 1 Hits the Big Screen

Formula 1 Paving Its Way in the United States

U.S. media has featured Formula 1–inspired movies, TV shows, and other content before, such as the movie Rush (2013) and the documentary Senna (2011). Both of which led to a modest growth of the U.S. fanbase, but nothing exponential.

In 2017, Liberty Media Group, an American media company, purchased Formula 1 with the goal of expanding its global fan base. With races now set in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas, and branching out with celebrity partnerships, the popularity of Formula 1 in the U.S. is at an all-time high.

Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019), which provides a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of Formula 1 drivers, also changed the game for Formula 1 in the U.S. It opened up the sport to a new audience. Ever since, enthusiasm for the sport has surged.

This year, 2025, Apple Original Films is releasing F1: The Movie, the next step in further introducing F1 to the world. Ferrari Team Principal said, “If you go back to 2018 or 2019, F1 was absolutely not in the same shape. Netflix helped us massively on this journey, and I hope this movie will do the same.” A Hollywood movie starring an iconic Brad Pitt is bound to reach a large audience and a new generation of fans to carry on the legacy that is Formula 1. The international release was June 25th, and the U.S. release was June 27th.

East Bay F1, sponsored by Le Pit Club, held their early viewing party of the movie on June 26th. Don’t miss out on exclusive events like this one! Join our email list here.

Accuracy and Authenticity on the Big Screen

The movie tells the fictional story of former F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt). He quit racing after a terrible crash, but now, thirty years later, he is making a comeback to partner with Team APXGP and their rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The team needs to win a race before the end of the season, and they need Sonny Hayes’ help to do it.

The movie is directed by Joseph Kosinski, most known for directing the film Top Gun: Maverick, and co-produced by none other than Sir Lewis Hamilton, current F1 driver. Together, their goals: make it as authentic and realistic as possible to best represent the sport. Their biggest challenge: getting both F1 connoisseurs and those with little to no knowledge of F1 to enjoy it. The team knew they were not going to please everyone, but it seems like they did try their hardest to make it as accurate as possible, keeping in mind that this is a Hollywood film at the same time.

Bringing on Lewis Hamilton was the first step; he was even there before Brad Pitt. Hamilton has his own production company, Dawn Apollo Films, that he established in 2022. He has a keen interest in producing movies, and this was the perfect opportunity for him. From motorsport.com, “When Lewis Hamilton was signed on to co-produce F1: The Movie, there was a collective sigh of relief…he would ensure authenticity—not only surrounding the technical aspects of racing and the intricacies of the driver experience, but hopefully around inclusion too.” Hamilton has been both a rookie and a veteran and has been a part of Formula 1 since 2007, so who better to provide insight into the racing world?

Brad Pitt has spoken about how Hamilton played a pivotal role in ensuring that every detail was as accurate as possible, even down to the sound the car makes at specific turns on a track. He also became Pitt and Idris’ driving instructor. Kosinski recounts, “It required months, literally months of training” for both actors to become comfortable in a race car. Hamilton was skeptical at first, teaching someone who had never driven under these circumstances before, but he said Pitt was a natural and genuinely fearless.

Even after all of the coaching, the cast did not end up driving in a Formula 1 car. They started out with road cars, then Formula 4, to Formula 3, and ended up with a Formula 2 model. They practiced on Circuit Paul Ricard in France, which has, “vast run-off areas…perfect for rookie drivers.” Brad Pitt ended up driving over 6,000 miles over the course of his extensive training. The cast fully enveloped themselves in race car driving and gave it their all over a three-month period.

The car used in the film was developed with the help of Team Mercedes. They had suggested the crew use a Formula 2 body that would then be modified to look like a Formula 1 car, which was necessary for easier control. Kosinski reports, “They also have camera mounts, built into them including the recorders and the batteries and the transmitters. They’re made for shooting movies, but they are fundamentally race cars.”

Fun fact: the cameras in the cars used to film the close-up shots were actually composed of iPhone parts. The main camera was made to resemble the actual broadcast camera typically found in F1 race cars. Apple had to not only match the design, but also the exact weight to not throw off the vehicle. Additionally, it had to “endure extreme shock, vibrations, and heat.” The invention was needed to capture the high-speed racing scenes and make the footage something worthy of showing on the big screen. The effort that went into this film is mind-blowing.

Filming on the Racetrack

The movie was shot over the 2023 and 2024 Formula 1 seasons. This movie is unique because it was filmed on the track during the actual Grand Prix weekends across multiple locations. It was shot in the UK, Monza, Abu Dhabi, and more, following the real F1 team. To get the true Formula 1 feel, the cast immersed themselves in the racing scene. The fictional F1 team APXGP set up base in each circuit, and Sonny Hayes became “real” as he stood next to Formula 1 drivers and raced alongside them.

Over the past two years, you may have seen clips of Brad Pitt at the circuit or in person if you were at the race. A scene from the trailer that stood out to many was Brad Pitt standing next to Max Verstappen during the national anthem at the British Grand Prix.

The movie has multiple cameos of other real-life Formula 1 drivers as well, such as Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. While I am watching the movie, I will surely be trying to spot all of the real aspects used throughout the film and even all of the references to the sport. F1: The Movie is fictional, but the scenes take place during real-life events.

They are of course, not actually racing while the Grand Prix is live, but you can sometimes find the production’s cars at the back of the pack during formation laps. They also raced against them between practice sessions. The crew never wanted to get in the way of the sport happening in front of them, and so the majority of filming was done during dedicated times on the track, but being able to film during a live race was an important part of what makes the film feel so real. Along with the racing, the audience is also really there, truly bringing the film to life.

Professional Driver’s Opinions

After filming, early screenings broadcast the movie to select audiences. It was found that “Only 18% of U.S. audiences had prior knowledge of Formula 1, compared to 50% in the UK.” Even with existing media, the U.S. fan base for Formula 1 is still not very high. Eddie Cue, an Apple executive, said at the beginning of the test screenings, “You ask them how many have seen a race, and very few people actually raise their hand compared to the number of people in the theater. When we finish and we ask how many of you would like to go see a race now, literally every single hand goes up.” Films make you feel and introduce you to things you might not have known much about before. One of the recent movies I saw, Twisters, had me wanting to travel to Oklahoma and go storm chasing, despite being terrified of tornadoes. Movies are more powerful than we realize, who knows, you may want to experience the thrill of racing after watching this movie or at least tune into the next Formula 1 race.

There was also a special premiere for the F1 drivers and their teams. It seems as though the drivers had positive reviews after watching. Esteban Ocon exclaimed, “…it’s definitely the best movie of racing that I’ve seen.” In true Lando Norris fashion, he expressed, “I was brilliant in it and that was the main thing! [It had] a cool storyline and a lot of inspiration for young people coming into it.” Red Bull Team Principal noted, “We are probably the worst possible audience…going to look and scrutinize every detail, every gear change, every pit stop, and it was very authentic.” The general consensus was that it was an entertaining watch and a great way to introduce and explain the sport to new fans.

Controversy and Overall Sentiment

Since the F1 audience has seen an increase in the U.S. over the last couple of years, there are many more opinions going around about this movie than ever before.

Some of this has to do with the role of women throughout the film. For a movie that wants to reach a broader audience, which would include females, the women throughout this film seem to not play a huge role. Simone Ashley, well-known from her role in Bridgerton, had the majority of her scenes cut from the film, “a creative call”, and now only has a brief, non-speaking moment. I believe people were just disappointed to see her role reduced because she is well-loved and had recently promoted the movie. She seems to be in good spirits and still attended the official premiere.

In the movie, the technical director for Team APXGP is Kate. She is the first woman in F1 history to hold a senior technical role. Without too many spoilers, many are upset that she was made to seem inadequate at her job and needed Sonny Hayes’ help to solve her problem. She also got involved in a romantic relationship on-screen, and people wondered, was being a woman just to push this plot point?

A lot of the controversy surrounding the movie is coming directly from Formula 1 fans who know a tremendous amount about the sport. They are saying some of the scenes may be a bit dramatic, like the crash scenes filmed in Monza. They said the scenes were not realistic, but they were actually a mix of two well-known crashes in Formula 1—Alex Peroni’s crash in 2019 and Roman Grosjean’s in 2020. Without going too far into detail, the film also uses real-life footage from Martin Donnely’s crash at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. While they are dramatized, “[Everything] that you have seen has happened. It’s not fake. It’s not coming from another dimension,” co-producer Bruckheimer emphasizes. Others critique the older age of Sonny Hayes and bring up the concern of the movie catering to new fans rather than enthusiasts.

I will leave you with this. The crew really seemed to love what they were doing and wanted to be involved in a film that showed Formula 1 to the world. Idris exclaims, “Every time I got behind the wheel, it was the most exhilarating feeling in the world.” Brad Pitt a longtime fan of motorsports, recalls, “It’s been one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve had. I think it shows. At the end of the day, if the guys down pit lane say, ‘Job well done’, then we’ve done it.”
Recently, Pitt actually drove a Formula 1 car. In Austin, during a private practice, he hopped behind the wheel of Lando Norris’ McLaren from 2023 and reached a speed of 197 mph. He says he is still on a high from the exhilarating day.

The moral of the story is, it is impossible to please everyone, and it is important to remember this is a Hollywood film that will nine times out of ten involve some sort of romance and drama for audience entertainment. The film was also made as a way to introduce a new audience to the sport, but I believe it has something that every level of enthusiast will appreciate. Go in open-minded and enjoy the race, even if it is not on the “real” track.

Art is subjective, and if this movie had pleased everyone, it probably meant that there were no risks being taken. As you can see from this article, it has sparked conversation, and you should see the movie before fully forming your opinion. At the time of this article’s publication, the film had been released and had made almost $150 million globally, $56 million coming from the U.S. all on opening weekend.

Keep an eye out for our review of the movie, coming out next!

Let us know what you think over on our social media as well, @lepitclub and @eastbayf1.

Thank you for reading!