Cinema at 200 MPH: 'F1: The Movie'

By Néya Sridhar

Apple TV’s F1: The Movie has been a box office hit this past week, bringing a buzz to the Formula One scene worldwide. According to Variety, “The film, starring Brad Pitt as a has-been Formula One driver who gets coerced out of retirement, generated $57 million domestically and $146.3 million in its opening weekend.”

F1: The Movie; Photo by Formula 1

The filmmakers committed to F1. They went as far as stationing between Red Bull and Ferrari on most tracks, traveling to nine Formula One races around the world, and partaking as the 11th team to make this film happen.

F1 cost roughly $250 million to produce and an additional $125 million to market, making it one of Apple’s most expensive expenditures since Severance Season 2. This action-packed, sensational, and visually stunning movie included components that elevated it beyond a typical racing film.

A brilliant approach to the making of the film was having Ferrari’s own Lewis Hamilton serve as a producer. “All the other drivers, all the teams are relying on me to make sure that it does, it’s not done, like ‘Hollywood’ if you know what I mean, like faked,” Hamilton said in an interview with Reuters.

Lewis Hamilton; Photo by Motorsport Magazine

Hamilton was integral to F1, down to the very sounds the audience hears during the film. Brad Pitt, in an interview with Formula 1, praised Hamilton for his help: “Sir Lewis Hamilton is our producer. His knowledge has been so immensely helpful. He’s been keeping us straight, going, ‘No, no, no. That doesn’t fly. It needs to go this way.’”

Before casting the film, director Joseph Kosinski brought Hamilton on as the backbone of the project. “He said as long as I can have that kind of backing, and that kind of support, then I think we can get to what I know I can do with the cameras and the car,” Pitt stated, according to Kosinski.

Brad Pitt (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right); Mario Renzi - Formula 1, Getty Images

Another noteworthy aspect of the film is its actors’ commitment to actually racing in the scenes on screen. Teammates for Pitt, who plays Sonny Hayes, and Damson Idris, who plays Joshua Pearce, trained and competed in real Formula One races globally.

Driving any car, let alone a Formula One car, is no joke. “We trained for about four to five months all the way from F3000, F4s, up to F1 cars. And each time you kind of conquer one car, they’re like, ‘All right, now get in a faster one!’” Idris said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

Damson Idris (left) and Brad Pitt (right); Photo by US Weekly

Film producer Jerry Bruckheimer shared his insights with Fandango. “We put Brad and Damson on the track in front of 140,000 people. They had no idea they were in the car. It’s more difficult when you have 100 million people on television watching our guys go around the track. They had no idea they were in the car. But just not to spin out and be embarrassed—it adds an enormous amount of tension,” Bruckheimer said.

Ferrari’s second driver, Charles Leclerc, added to this from a racer’s standpoint in an interview with IMAX. “And that’s, I think, the craziest part about the movie; they managed to get into our world, in our environment, while we were doing our job, without disturbing us because we were actually focusing [on getting] into the car and do the real racing,” Leclerc said.

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Charles LeClerc (right) for Ferrari; Photo by Racing News

F1: The Movie is far more than just a Hollywood take on racing; it highlights teamwork, passion, and a groundbreaking fusion of cinema and sport that brings viewers closer to the world of Formula One. From casting A-listers who trained like real drivers to filming on actual F1 circuits alongside elite teams, the film’s authenticity excels. 

Grab your tickets for F1: The Movie, now playing in theaters. Buckle up, hit the gas, and get ready for the adrenaline rush of the summer!