Why the F1 film wouldn’t exist without ‘gracious’ driver cameos

A new plot-heavy trailer for Brad Pitt’s hotly-anticipated movie, aptly titled F1, has dropped.

The two-and-a-half-minute clip finally gives fans an idea of the film’s premise, which centers on a washed-up former F1 driver, Sonny Hayes, who makes a surprise return to the grid several years after suffering a terrible crash. However, it becomes glaringly obvious in the latest teaser that if it were real life, there’s very little chance Hayes would find himself in an F1 seat.

Javier Bardem, who plays the owner of the fictional APXGP team, describes Pitt’s character as a “guy who lives in a van” and a “gambling junkie.” Hayes isn’t in the kind of fighting shape that’s become mandatory for F1 drivers in recent years, even if he won the 24 Hours of Daytona shortly before being recruited by APXGP. His team-mate, rookie driver Joshua Pearce, isn’t a fan of Hayes: “He’s old, he’s such a prick,” actor Damson Idris is heard saying. There’s some serious animosity between the pair, who get tangled up in multiple crashes throughout the season – and a few off-track confrontations too.

Previous trailers have featured clips of real F1 drivers, including a shot of Carlos Sainz during the starting grid in Silverstone and a collision with Esteban Ocon’s Alpine. While it remains to be seen how heavily the drivers will be showcased in the final cut, director Joseph Kosinski said all of the real-life drivers were incredibly gracious.

“They’re all very handsome, charming…and they’re friendly guys. You can see how they all got to where they are,” he told a select group of media earlier this week, including Motorsport.com. “When you say you’re making a movie, there’s going to be some reticence, but when [the drivers] saw how determined we were to make it authentic and represent their sport in the absolute best way we could, they embraced us.

cars being filmed for new F1 film APEX starring Brad Pitt

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“Working alongside Lewis, and all the other drivers on the grid and to have them play themselves in the film was really remarkable. There’s just no way this film would exist without them.”

Kosinski also addressed some of the unique challenges presented by filming in such a high-pressure environment. “We couldn’t shoot at the track without the race going on, so we had to find 10- or 15-minute time slots between practice and qualifying where we’d have Brad and Damson ready, and the cars warmed up with hot tires ready to go,” he explained. “As soon as practice ended, we’d have cameras already rolling, and I’d have to shoot scenes in these very short, intense, high-speed windows. I don’t think the crowd even realized that Brad Pitt was in the car.”

The Top Gun: Maverick director said there was a “heightened quality” to their shoots, which would ordinarily be stretched out over multiple days, rather than 15-minute windows.

“We were also shooting dramatic scenes on the grid before races,” he recalled. “So, it was a very unique way of working. It was like a live stage play – but in front of thousands of people while shooting at 180 miles an hour.”

F1 hits the big screen in June.