Lewis Hamilton: “Then I say – that’s ridiculous!” / System 1

For several months, Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has been working with Joseph Kosinski, the director of the Hollywood hit “Top Gun: Maverick” about the movie star Tom Cruise. Special advisor Hamilton, Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are developing an Apple+ film in which Brad Pitt plays race car driver Sonny Hayes, who comes out of retirement to help a young pilot.

2023 was filmed at various racetracks, but the project stalled – due to the strike of the scriptwriters and then the actors.

60-year-old Brad Pitt is an avid racing fan who attended several Grands Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before the F1 film. When it was confirmed that filming would take place in several GP locations in 2023, even worse rumors emerged.

The craziest thing: Brad Pitt has to go to the Formula 1 track and field to shoot some exciting stunts. Filming on location actually began at Silverstone in 2023. But there was only one thing that was right about the thief’s gun above: Brad Pitt was on the track, but not with a 1000 hp GP racer, but with a Formula 2 car that was disguised as a Formula 1 racing car. And of course Pitt did not drive with 20 Formula 1 drivers, but in the breaks between training and racing for the supporting program.

Joseph Kosinski chose the legendary Formula 1 film “Grand Prix” with John Frankenheimer as the model. Kosinki, his chief mentor Lewis Hamilton and Bruckheimer want to show the GP race as realistically as possible;

Lewis Hamilton said in an interview with GQ: “I told people from the beginning: ‘This film has to look as real as possible.’ My job is to recognize something strange and say – that’s stupid!

“We’re dealing with two different fan groups here. There are long-time Formula 1 fans who know every note from the ‘Grand Prix’ movie. And then we have the younger fans of the Netflix generation.

“We have to be able to attract both groups. And we can only do that if I constantly say: ‘This will never happen like this, we really should do this.’ It’s my job to show the team what Formula 1 really is.”

Filming on GP locations is scheduled to continue in 2024. It is not yet clear which routes will be filmed.