With Brad Pitt’s ‘F1’ movie planned for release in June 2025, this would have to be the earliest I can remember a teaser being released, so let’s just hope we don’t forget about it before then ……
Originally titled ‘Apex’, the film gained immense coverage in July 2023 when principal photography began at the UK’s Silverstone circuit as well as during the 2023 British Grand Prix weekend, although not in official F1 sessions. On that occasion Pitt drove a modified Formula 2 car with an F1 aero package built by Mercedes-AMG F1 team and Carlin Motorsport.
Prior to filming, Pitt and co-star Damson Idris tested Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars, with filming taking place at other international circuits like Monza, , Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka International Racing Course, Las Vegas Strip Circuit as well as the 2024 24 hours of Daytona where the number 120 Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R carried cameras and had special livery for the film.
Created in collaboration with the FIA and promoted as a sport, action-drama film, the premise of ‘F1’ is that Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) a Formula 1 driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend (Javier Bardem) contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Expensify Apex Grand Prix team.
As an aside, ‘Expensify’ is a genuine software company which has offices around the world including Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton is a co-producer under his Dawn Apollo Films company and even Guenther Steiner gets a cameo!
I’m looking forward to watching the movie ‘F1’ for several reasons, to see how the racing vision is handled, to spot the genuine F1 drivers who appear and hope that the plot is a lot better than the one I’m envisioning!
It will certainly throw another element into the ‘Drive to Survive 2024’ series. See what you think ……
F1 – Official Teaser – Warner Bros. UK & Ireland
Image courtesy Apple TV +
