Hollywood’s finally bringing the full-throttle, white-knuckle intensity of Formula 1 to the silver screen. And judging by the freshly dropped trailer for F1, starring Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Damson Idris, we’re in for a wild ride.
Director Joseph Kosinski, fresh off helming Top Gun: Maverick, is aiming for a level of visceral realism that may have you gripping your armrests like the steering wheel in a race car’s cockpit. And with real-life champion driver Lewis Hamilton co-producing, the authenticity factor is cranked to eleven. Pitt plays a retired F1 legend named Sonny Hayes who has been coaxed back into the fray to mentor hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Idris). The trailer hits all the right notes: the futuristic race cars, pit-stop chaos, sun-drenched European circuits and simmering tension between the old dog and the young gun. It’s a classic sports narrative, sure, but injected with the fiery intensity of F1.
But what seems to really set F1 apart is its commitment to capturing the real deal. This isn’t just some CGI-laden fantasy. They actually filmed during live Grand Prix weekends, embedding a fictional race car among the real contenders. Seven-time world champion Hamilton is practically a co-pilot, ensuring every gear shift, every cornering maneuver, every bead of sweat is true to the sport. Veteran action movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer recounted a particularly telling moment at Silverstone, where Hamilton corrected Pitt’s gear selection based on the sound alone. “The level of specifics that he gave us, like in Silverstone in Turn 3 you’re in second gear, and he could hear with his ear we [Brad Pitt] were in third gear,” Bruckheimer told Newsweek. “It’s that kind of thing that he’s bringing to the movie.”
Hamilton’s obsession with accuracy goes beyond just the technical details. He wants to show the sheer physical and mental toll that F1 takes on its drivers. “When he finishes a race, especially like Singapore, where it’s very hot, he can barely get out of the car, they lose 10 pounds,” Bruckheimer explained. “They’re just completely exhausted [and] we’re going to show what it takes to be an F1 driver.”
This level of dedication is no surprise. F1’s popularity has exploded in recent years, particularly in the U.S., thanks in no small part to Netflix’s hit docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Now, F1 is poised to capitalize on that momentum, bringing the sport to an even wider audience. It’s a chance to demystify the complex world of F1 racing, to show the raw human drama behind the high-tech spectacle. The trailer promises a cinematic experience that’s nearly as thrilling as the real thing. But can F1 capture the lightning-in-a-bottle intensity of a Grand Prix weekend? We’ll find out when the film hits theaters on June 27 in North America. Until then, buckle up and watch the trailer below, because the race is on.
