Brad Pitt F1 movie: Cast, release date, Lewis Hamilton involvement and more

The release date for F1, starring Brad Pitt, is here and seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton has played a key role in the movie.

Formula 1’s stock has never been higher than it is right now, a popularity boom which can be traced back to Netflix’s hit docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’. Since then Formula 1 and its stars have become an increasingly popular topic for content, and one of the most eagerly-anticipated releases of the summer is a film which will feature megastar Brad Pitt titled F1: The Movie.

Brad Pitt F1 movie: What is the storyline?

The storyline of this film focuses on Pitt’s character, ‘Sonny Hayes’, who is a previously-retired Formula 1 driver that comes out of retirement with the aim of mentoring wunderkind Joshua Pierce, played by Damson Idris.

Hayes joins fictional team APXGP, which is struggling financially as it whiles away at the back of the grid, failing to score any points during its brief tenure in the sport. Rookie Pearce is struggling with the varying demands of stardom, and Hayes dedicates himself to helping revitalize the team’s fortunes.

Pitt told Sky’s Martin Brundle that he plays “a guy who raced in the 1990s… who has a horrible crash, craps out and disappears, then he’s racing in other disciplines.

“His friend, played by Javier Bardem, he’s a team owner, contacts him. They’re a last place team, they’re 21-22 on the grid, they’ve never scored a point. But they have a young phenom, played by Damson Idris, and they bring me in as kind of a Hail Mary and hijinks ensue.

“Tell you what’s amazing about it — there are cameras mounted all over the car — you’ve never seen speed, you’ve never seen just the G-forces like this. It’s really, really exciting.”

When will the Brad Pitt F1 movie be released and where can I watch it?

Split across international and North American markets, F1 will be available to view in international markets on 25 June 2025, before being released in North America two days later.

“The global theatrical release will also include IMAX theatres,” stated the F1 press release.

“The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customised theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.”

Who has been cast for the Brad Pitt F1 movie?

Alongside Pitt and Hamilton, the latter unlikely to be portraying an alternate character, IMDb also list British actor Damson Idris, plus Irish actress Kerry Condon, who is a BAFTA Award winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, claiming that award for her part in the film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’.

She was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Condon will play the role of the team’s technical director, with Javier Bardem starring as ‘Ruben Cervantes’, APXGP’s team owner.

All 10 Formula 1 teams and their drivers are set to star as themselves in the movie.

How will Lewis Hamilton be involved in the Brad Pitt F1 movie?

Hamilton assisted with creation of the film in a producer and consultancy role, as part of his own recently established production company, Dawn Apollo Films.

Hamilton had said back in February 2023 that he was part of the audition phase to find the actor who would star alongside Pitt as part of the film’s key plot.

It has also been confirmed that Joseph Kosinski, director of the hit ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ film, will take on the same role for this F1 project, with Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced that sequel and the original, joining Hamilton as a producer for the F1 film.

Sticking with that ‘Top Gun’ theme, Ehren Kruger has been assigned as the writer.

Hamilton makes a brief appearance in the film, particularly in the final race of the F1 2024 season when he’s wrecked from the lead by driver Joshua Pearce.

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Did Brad Pitt drive at Silverstone during the 2023 British Grand Prix weekend?

Filming for the movie began at the 2023 British Grand Prix, where Pitt was seen driving laps of Silverstone in a modified Formula 2 car that has been made to look like it is Formula 1 spec – decked out in a black and gold livery under the team name ‘APXGP’.

The fictional team were given their own garage for the event, with their own branding to make their presence look as lifelike as possible.

The APXGP cars pulled up alongside the other 20 drivers ahead of the start and pulled away shortly after the formation lap began.

Stars Pitt and Idris have been spotted at several races across the 2023 and 2024 seasons as footage was gathered for the movie, with the last at-track race weekend filming having taken place at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Idris revealed that he and Pitt were provided with a handful of 10-minute on-track sessions while filming the movie, during which time other teams and drivers were also on the track. These sessions were designed to allow the film team to capture critical action sequences.

Who is supplying the APXGP car?

Mercedes have been on hand to produce a modified Formula 2 car while another F1 staple Pirelli are also involved.

The APXGP team cars are equipped with Pirelli tyres, as are all the tyres that will be used during filming. The logo of the F1’s tyre supplier also appears on the front wing and nose of Pitt and his team-mate’s car.

What has F1 said about the Brad Pitt F1 movie?

Understandably, Formula 1 is very upbeat about the potential benefits of the film, though president and CEO Stefano Domenicali did warn that its production would be “quite invasive” for those in the sport.

“When we started the collaboration with Netflix, the [F1] community said what’s going on? This is not our place to be,” said Domenicali during a meeting with F1 investors, as per Motorsport.com.

“And now we understand the power of it. And then we added the very strong presence with social media, making sure that all our drivers and teams are very active in promoting the sport.

“It will be quite invasive in terms of production, it’s something that we need to control in a way, but it will be another way of showing that F1 never stops.”

Lewis Hamilton himself has been glowing in how he has spoken about the film, but admits his nerves at how it is going to turn out – given his own emotional investment as a consulting producer.

“I was here a week or two I think it was before Austria, watching Brad practice and it’s massively exciting to see it all coming together and to know that we’re finally starting to film this weekend,” Hamilton told media including PlanetF1.com ahead of the 2023 British Grand Prix weekend.

“There are nerves, naturally, because it’s something we’ve been working on for so long and we want everyone to love it and to really feel that we encapsulate what the essence of this sport is all about.

“So that’s our goal. Hopefully we can do you proud.”

It is expected that the tiny 6K cameras developed for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ will see further use in this F1 film to take viewers inside the cockpit, so it is certainly a project where it is a case of pulling out all the stops as Formula 1 is introduced to an even larger audience.

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