Ahead of the film’s international launch on June 25 and North America release on June 27, the 2025 grid gathered to find out what happens to their fictional APXGP counterparts.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, F1 stars Brad Pitt as former F1 driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the sport to partner rookie team mate Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, at the APXGP team.
Pitt, Hayes and the rest of the crew were in action at a host of Grand Prix weekends across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, meaning their story will be intertwined with F1’s real-life drivers.
Now the 2025 grid – and the film’s co-stars – have had the chance to see the finished product for themselves, with unanimous approval for the how the sport was portrayed on the big screen.
“It was really cool,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, when asked what his initial impressions of the movie were.
“Honestly I got into this cinema room and I didn’t know what to expect. We know this sport so much that you are trying to be over analytical on everything, and I had no idea what the storytelling would be.
“The storytelling is really cool and the images are just incredible. The job that the team has done in order to have different angles that we don’t actually see on racetracks is really cool. I really enjoyed it.”
Haas’ Esteban Ocon was similarly full of praise for the movie, and the Frenchman enjoyed watching how his own close battles with Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes played out.
“Honestly awesome,” he said. “I’ve never seen such an image and how immersive it is when you are inside the car. Obviously I know it in reality but in the movie you can really feel the speed and the story is super entertaining, which was really fun to watch.
“I got to see myself quite a lot of times racing with Sonny, which was quite close at times! I enjoyed that one too.
“Honestly a beautiful movie. Well done to F1, well done to all the crew and everyone – the producers – that have worked on the movie. I think it’s honestly fantastic and it’s definitely the best movie of racing that I’ve seen.”
‘I WAS BRILLIANT IN IT!’
Naturally for some drivers, it was just as important to see themselves on the big screen as it was to see the movie for the very first time.
“I was brilliant in it and that was the main thing!” joked McLaren’s Lando Norris. “It was a very good movie, a nice storyline – I don’t know how much I can and can’t say! It was a cool story, I think an inspirational story – it had a lot of different meanings behind it all. But a cool storyline and a lot of inspiration for young people coming into it.”
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was another who enjoyed the watch, and highlighted how the film can take people into a driver’s own world within F1.
“Beautiful, that was really cool to be able to see if for the first time,” the Frenchman said. “I think people are going to enjoy – it’s a real dive into our world of Formula 1 for us as drivers but also all the people evolving around Formula 1. So I’m sure people will like it, a great production and it’s kind of funny to also feature in a movie!”
‘WE ARE PROBABLY THE WORST POSSIBLE AUDIENCE…’
Of course, it wasn’t just the drivers who gathered for the private screening in Monaco with the F1 team bosses doing likewise. And, considering their eye for detail within the sport, they could have been harder to please than most!
“I thought it was excellent,” said Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner. “We are probably the worst possible audience to watch that movie because you’re going to look and scrutinize every detail, every gear change, every pit stop, and it was very authentic. The way they’ve interwoven it with the drivers and the teams, it’s a great film and definitely one to go and watch.”
He added: “[It’s] great to see Formula 1 engaging like this and it’s been well done. The research has been done, you can see that they’ve really taken the time to understand the sport and I think it’s a great way of actually explaining the sport to people that have not engaged with Formula 1 before. Watch this movie and it’s a great introduction to Formula 1.”
Williams boss James Vowles was another Team Principal to share similar praise after watching the new movie.
“I thought it was absolutely fantastic, they did a really good job of being authentic to who we are and how we go racing,” the Briton said. “I sort of rate films in the amount of goosebump moments that I had – and I had three or four of them that were just really brilliant build ups that then ended in this fantastic way.
“For me what they’ve done is what they promised they would do, which is really to capture what I think makes our sport incredibly special in a way that is understandable for the world and bring it together in a fantastic package. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
And what about Vowles’ own cameo in the movie?
“It was fortunately brief for the world!” he joked. “I love this sport to bits, it’s why I’ve made my life out of it, and to have this opportunity to be a part of it meant a huge amount to me.”
‘I THINK THE RESULT IS AMAZING’
For Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, another in attendance at the Monaco screening, watching the final result represents the closing stages of a project that has been years in the making.
“Very proud and very thankful for the F1 world who understand without seeing the final result up until today, what was behind that,” he said when asked his initial thoughts after viewing F1.
“Thankful for Jerry [Bruckheimer] and Joe [Kosinski], to Eddy [Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services], Apple and Warner Bros. I mean, it has been an incredible journey that started in February 2021 and they came to see me in my office in London. It seems [like] yesterday but it has been hard work.
“But I really want to thank everyone in our ecosystem because it was a hard production and it’s the first time there is such an incredible integration between a movie and the real action on the track. I think the result is amazing. I love that, I love the story, I love the music, I love the rhythm, so I can’t wait to see the result and the reaction of the crowd.”
He added: “It’s incredible, we never thought it was possible but now we did it. I do believe, and we do believe, that this will take us to another level and it’s up to us to cope with that. But, it’s just amazing and I can’t wait to see the people watching it and talking about – not only Brad, not only the movie – but also of Formula 1.”
Published in F1
