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‘You didn’t win!’ – Sainz pokes fun at Hamilton over last Australian Grand Prix (0:26)
Lewis Hamilton reveals his hopes for his first Grand Prix with Ferrari in Australia. (0:26)
Mar 13, 2025, 03:25 PM ET
Brad Pitt’s speed is real and Hollywood’s Formula 1 movie will be the most authentic racing film ever seen when it hits cinema screens in June, according to seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Ferrari driver said the Apple Original Films production has got the lot — “Brad Pitt, speed, thrills, an epic underdog story, drama, humour and a little bit of romance.”
A two-minute trailer for the film, set to be released internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures on June 25 with Hamilton credited as a co-producer, provided a taste of the action on Thursday.
“Watching Brad drive around at speeds over 180 miles an hour was really impressive to see because it’s not something you can just learn overnight,” said Hamilton, whose season starts in Australia this weekend, in recorded comments at a launch event.
Brad Pitt filmed scenes for the F1 movie at Grand Prix weekends. Dave Benett/Getty Images for Experience Abu Dhabi
“The dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness.”
Directed by Joseph Kosinski of “Top Gun: Maverick” fame, the movie also stars Javier Bardem as owner of a team on the verge of failure.
British actor Damson Idris is hotshot Joshua Pearce alongside ageing redemption-seeking racer Sonny Hayes, played by Pitt who is 61 in real life.
Shot at Grand Prix weekends, Pitt and Idris drove F2 cars adapted by Mercedes and kitted out with cameras and recording equipment.
The fictitious APX team had its own garage and pit wall with cars positioned at the back of the grid before the races started.
They had slots of 10-15 minutes for laps between practice and qualifying sessions, drivers ready to go with tyres warmed and cameras rolling as soon as the track action ended.
Hundreds of thousands of fans remained unaware that a helmeted Hollywood superstar was lapping in front of them.
Kosinski said Hamilton, 40, had shaped the narrative and had also wanted to be sure, early on, that Pitt could really drive.
“If Brad can’t drive, this whole film wasn’t going to work, and what Lewis was very happy to discover was that, you know, Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start,” Kosinski said.
“I don’t know where he got that. … He rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it, but he’s just a very talented, naturally gifted driver, which gave Lewis a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off.”
Kosinski said filming, with remotely operated on-car cameras slimmed to a quarter of the size of those used on Top Gun, was “like a live stage play … . Shooting at 180 miles an hour, literally. It was an adrenaline rush every weekend.”
Pitt and Idris had months of training.
“When you see Brad driving, that’s not acting. He’s really concentrating on keeping that car on the track and out of the wall during all those scenes, so that’s something that you just can’t fake,” Kosinski said.
