Brad Pitt Hits the Track: Inside Hollywood’s $200 Million F1 Takeover

In Formula One racing, where minor fractions of a second can determine winners from losers, safeguarding technical knowledge is as crucial as having fresh tires. This is because teams view their trade secrets much like national security matters. So, when film director Joseph Kosinski, who’s behind the upcoming movie F1 (starring Brad Pitt and releasing on June 27), tried to delve into the inner workings of Formula One, he felt a sense of deja vu. His experiences mirrored those from making Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 blockbuster about naval aviators that grossed $1.5 billion, as he required the backing of the U.S. Department of Defense. As Kosinski puts it, “The level of security I encountered was the same as what I experienced when visiting secret bases.

For a full year, Kosinski persistently sought approval from Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, to film inside their race simulator. This exclusive area within their headquarters, located approximately 70 miles northwest of London, is usually off-limits even to most Mercedes employees. However, Wolff eventually agreed. In the resulting movie, Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, portraying Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce, drivers for a fictional racing team (APXGP), can be seen using Mercedes’ expensive equipment for practice. As Wolff explains, “We were determined to make this project a success, and that requires full commitment. So it wouldn’t suffice to just pretend to cooperate; we had to grant access to our factory as well.” Alongside F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali, Wolff is credited as an executive producer.

Despite making adjustments in post-production to safeguard Mercedes’ proprietary information, the creators of the F1 film found themselves in a delicate dance of compromise between a high-powered Hollywood production team accustomed to autonomy and a $3.4 billion sport with a devoted fan base. To bring F1 to the screen, both parties had to find innovative solutions. This intricate balancing act included allowing F1 to have its cast and crew attend races worldwide, but they could only film during off-hours at the track or blend inconspicuously into the background. According to Domenicali, “the live sport” was off-limits for alterations.

In the cutthroat world of cinema, where unique tales often find themselves overshadowed by established intellectual properties, the potential payoff was substantial. A hit at the box office would significantly boost the prospects for future original concepts. Furthermore, Apple’s studio division, which supported the production of this film that will eventually be available on Apple TV+ following its theatrical release by Warner Bros. Pictures (after F1), introduced an additional layer of intricacy. As Kosinski explains, “It was incredibly complex to align two large entities, each keen on safeguarding their own brands, to cooperate. However, thanks to Stefano’s vision for the film and Apple’s willingness to take a risk on this project, here we are today, on the verge of launching it globally.

The foundation of F1 was laid about a decade back, when Kosinski was working on a script titled “Go Like Hell,” which eventually became the 2019 Oscar-winning film Ford v Ferrari. Originally, Tom Cruise and Pitt were set to play the roles that ended up being portrayed by Matt Damon and Christian Bale. A script reading even took place at Cruise’s house. However, due to budget disagreements, Kosinski stepped away from the project and focused on Top Gun with Cruise and Bruckheimer instead. During the pandemic, while immersed in Formula One: Drive to Survive, a Netflix series detailing Formula One’s backstage drama, Kosinski felt the racing bug return. He reached out to seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, a film enthusiast who had initially intended to join the Top Gun cast before deciding he couldn’t juggle that and his championship pursuits. Kosinski asked Hamilton for assistance in creating the most authentic auto-racing movie ever.

Kosinski managed to secure the involvement of Hamilton, a film producer who made a brief appearance, Bruckheimer, and Pitt for their project. The aim was to acquire genuine access to Formula One races and factories to minimize the need for computer-generated imagery throughout the production. In early 2022, Kosinski, Bruckheimer, and Pitt sat down with Domenicali in London. To give Domenicali a taste of the exciting impact such a film could have on Formula One, they invited him to a private screening of Top Gun. Impressed by the potential, Domenicali joined Kosinski and Pitt for the screening. A movie starring Pitt could attract a large audience and spark curiosity about Formula One. According to Domenicali, “This has always been our plan: connecting with new audiences, expanding into new markets.

Despite some reservations from certain F1 race teams, they were apprehensive about being depicted in an undesirable manner. According to Bruckheimer, someone has to be the antagonist. While there is a secondary character who serves as a contrast to Hayes, this individual isn’t linked to any actual F1 race team. Bruckheimer clarified that the narrative revolves around the strife between two drivers, the veteran Hayes and the promising Pearce, both belonging to the same fictional team. This situation mirrors a common theme: both drivers are striving for personal victories and eager to outperform each other. On paper, they should maintain sportsmanship on the track. For instance, at Mercedes, Hamilton and 2016 F1 champion Rosberg had a notoriously tense relationship. “It became quite hostile,” Wolff recalls.

Mercedes played a crucial role in transforming Formula Two vehicles into automobiles that could mimic the appearance of F1 cars. The filmmakers had several such cars at their disposal to shoot scenes where Pitt’s APXGP car overtakes a Ferrari. They would stage these encounters on an F1 track between practice and qualifying sessions before a race. Subsequently, they would superimpose the Ferrari design onto their own cars on screen. Similarly, they could utilize actual race footage and apply the APXGP car design to Red Bulls and Ferraris. The production team equipped their vehicles with 15 camera mounts, capable of filming up to four simultaneously, to capture Pitt and Idris in their cockpits, as well as track action. As Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, stated, “Brad Pitt is actually driving the car.” Neither actor relied on blue screen or CGI techniques for this film. Both actors learned to drive at speeds close to real F1 drivers, reaching approximately 180 mph, not far from the actual top speeds of around 220 mph.

In the story, I, Ruben Cervantes, the owner of APXGP’s struggling team, express my amazement. “Those guys were incredibly swift,” I exclaim, recalling a moment at a Florida laundromat where I first witnessed their racing skills in a last-ditch effort to revitalize my team. Stunned by their speed, I turned to Joe and asked, “What does the insurance have to say about that?” To which he responded, “What insurance?

As a cinephile enthusiastically recounting my experiences, let me share that the making of F1 was an epic journey spanning two seasons (2023 and 2024) across three continents. The production budget for this cinematic spectacle surpassed a staggering $200 million! During certain races, we had our very own garage, paddock, and a prime spot along the pitwall – similar to where real-life team principals, technical directors, and race engineers would sit. Bruckheimer proudly shares that our set design was self-conceived, leaving one of the Mercedes designers speechless, muttering something about potentially losing his job upon seeing it!

Just like real Formula One drivers who had to be at their best, even those who never sat in the driver’s seat, the actors needed to deliver top performances for the 2023 British Grand Prix filming. During pre-race preparations, F1 filmed a scene featuring Cervantes introducing Hayes to a team board member portrayed by Tobias Menzies. This was akin to performing live theater in front of over 150,000 spectators, as Formula One wasn’t about to halt the race for multiple retakes. “It was petrifying,” recounts Bardem. “I kept reminding myself, ‘Don’t mess it up, Javier. Don’t mess it up.'” He managed not to.

Last December in Abu Dhabi, the excitement peaked following Lando Norris’ victory celebration, where Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, George Russell from Mercedes, and a driver from APXGP joined him on the podium to celebrate a false F1 finish. Toto Wolff filmed a brief appearance in Abu Dhabi; he suggested that Idris Pearce reach out if he ever wanted to switch teams to Mercedes. However, Wolff was unimpressed with his own performance. “I don’t believe I’ll be the next big Austrian sensation like Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he said, speaking with his distinctive accent.

The movie balances authenticity for car enthusiasts and appeal for all cinema-goers, featuring a powerful Hans Zimmer score, exhilarating high-speed crashes, the tension between Hayes and Pearce, and a romantic relationship between Hayes and Kate McKenna, the team’s technical director (Oscar nominee Kerry Condon). Kosinski considered the potential controversy of a workplace romance between a female team tech director and one of her drivers. However, when he discussed it with F1 insiders, they were not concerned. Romances within this close-knit community are relatively frequent. “I’m not worried,” says Domenicali. “And by the way, it adds the perfect touch of Hollywood.

The producers claim that the feedback they’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive. As explained by Domenicali and Cue, when viewers who are new to Formula 1 are surveyed following a race broadcast, many express interest in attending a live event. Moreover, industry stakeholders anticipate that this could spark curiosity among various demographics about working within the sport. Hamilton adds, “It’s going to inspire female engineers and mechanics, and people from all sorts of backgrounds.

It seems as though high standards are being set for this cinematic take on Formula 1 racing. However, the grandeur portrayed on the big screen – jet-setting from Italy to Japan, Las Vegas, and even the Middle East, with both trackside and off-track spectacles featuring fireworks – certainly offers some appealing aspects.

Aerodynamics lesson, anyone?

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2025-06-13 18:06