Pressure Mounts on Lewis Hamilton to Deliver as F1 Owner Reveals Expectations From Brad Pitt F1 Movie
IMAGO / justpictures.ch

Lewis Hamilton’s upcoming F1-inspired movie is eagerly awaited among the F1 community. The seven-time World Champion is a producer of this film starring Brad Pitt and he wants to make sure that it stays true to the sport. Scheduled for a 2025 release, the movie is set to bring the excitement of F1 to a broader audience.

Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media (owners of F1) has high hopes for the movie which is rumored to be called “Apex”. He believes that it will attract newer fans to the sport. And during a recent conversation on F1: Beyond the Grid, he said,

“Some of the footage I have seen is amazing racing footage. So, I think that’ll be very exciting, and they’ll put a huge marketing push on it as well. I think that is going to open us up to new audiences and provide new stimulation, so that’s going to be great.”

Maffei’s high expectations also rise tenfold because of the team making the movie. He praised director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s expertise. And he feels that their history of making great movies will continue with this F1 project. “They know what they are doing.”

Kosinski was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Top Gun: Maverick. And Bruckheimer produced blockbuster films like The Pirates of the Caribbean and the original Top Gun. With a powerhouse duo like this, Maffei expects waves to be created in the world of F1.

Can Lewis Hamilton’s movie deliver an authentic F1 experience?

The upcoming movie crew is putting in a lot of effort in delivering a true experience for those who will be new to the sport. They captured extensive footage at several Grand Prix weekends throughout 2023. At the British GP weekend, Pitt even drove a modified F2 car to add originality to filming.

Production continued in Las Vegas and at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. On-track camera cars and shots of the pit wall added to the authenticity, something Hamilton insisted on.

The film crew also got a full garage between Ferrari and Mercedes’, enabling them to capture true-to-life pitlane shots.

With such extensive efforts to deliver authenticity, the pressure in on Hamilton, Kosinski, and Bruckheimer to make the movie a success. The potential is immense. And it could end up attracting a legion of new fans to F1, similar to what Netflix’s Drive to Survive did.