As many F1 followers are seemingly conscious, in 2023 Brad Pitt started filming a fictional Formulation 1 film. However how a lot are you aware about this venture? Let me share every thing I’ve noticed behind the scenes in the course of the filming of this film within the F1 paddock!
The fictional F1 crew first noticed on the grid in Silverstone was Apx. This crew is the main focus of a film starring Brad Pitt.
And the way did this fictional crew fare of their first race? Properly, one automotive didn’t even get off the road, whereas the opposite managed simply 400 meters earlier than turning left earlier than the primary nook and heading off to a runoff zone.
So, does this film have a title but? No, it’s merely known as the “as-yet Untitled Apple F1 film.”
Silverstone marked the primary time we noticed the movie crew at a monitor, and did their vehicles truly race in opposition to any of the F1 vehicles at any stage over that weekend? No, however they did race in opposition to one another. They have been out on monitor filming on a number of events when the F1 vehicles weren’t on monitor.
Their automotive is definitely an F2 automotive; as you’ll be able to see, the rear wing is barely smaller than that of an F1 automotive. It’s additionally shorter and narrower than the F1 vehicles.
That is the livery you’ll see within the film, and sure, many have already famous that it bears a putting resemblance to the Haas livery from 2019.
The 2 stars of the APX crew are Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), racing the quantity seven automotive – the identical quantity Kimi used – and Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris), within the quantity 9 automotive. Are you able to bear in mind the final driver who used quantity 9? I needed to look it up; it was Nikita Mazepin.
Now, there’s no doubting that it is a important step for Formulation 1. They’ve been extremely accommodating to the movie crew, permitting them to movie each on monitor and within the paddock; granting them unparalleled entry, and all 20 F1 drivers shall be a part of the film.
On display screen, Sonny and Joshua shall be racing alongside all 20 of these drivers. Brad Pitt is a large identify, but additionally on board is Jerry Bruckheimer. You most likely know him from the Prime Gun sequence of films. He’s a Hollywood heavyweight and little question has performed a major function in getting this F1 film off the bottom.
So, what do we all know in regards to the plot? Properly, whereas it’s carefully guarded, we do know that Brad Pitt shall be portraying Sonny Hayes, a former F1 racer who suffered a horrible crash and bowed out of the game. Sonny returns to F1 to crew up with Joshua Pierce within the Apx crew. They’re no Crimson Bull; they’re extra like a back-of-the-grid crew ranging from final place, and so they’ve by no means scored a degree.
How a lot enter will the present F1 drivers have? Not a lot. Nevertheless, on the Friday night time of the 2023 Silverstone race, I received phrase that Brad Pitt could be allowed into the motive force’s briefing. That’s virtually extraordinary. Simply earlier than the briefing began, I spoke with a few drivers as they went in and talked about, “Hey, Brad Pitt could be in there with you guys.” which they discovered fairly thrilling. You might need seen Pierre Gasly’s Instagram put up with an image of Brad and some drivers within the briefing.
So, what was the aim of that? I imagine it was to offer Brad an thought of what truly occurs at these conferences, and secondly, for Brad to specific gratitude to the drivers for his or her participation within the film.
Is that this the primary time we’ve seen Brad Pitt at an F1 race? No, he was at Austin in 2022 and was fairly widespread, visiting a number of drivers and groups. We’ll see him at a number of different races all through the 2024 season and I believe we’re in for an actual deal with.
Did he have a lot safety round him? Sure, two or three guys clearing a path as he walked by means of the paddock. I caught him late Friday in Silverstone after the motive force’s briefing leaving the monitor, and he truly stopped exterior the swipe gates, posed for a few selfies and signed just a few autographs, which I believed was nice of him.
Now, this isn’t the primary time F1 has been concerned in a film. In 1966, F1 was a part of the film Grand Prix, which even starred James Garner and former F1 driver Graham Hill. In 2001, there was virtually one other F1 film known as “Pushed,” starring Sylvester Stallone. That film may properly have been about Formulation 1 as a result of in 1997, it was introduced that Stallone had agreed on a take care of Bernie Ecclestone to base a movie across the sport.
Over the next years, Stallone was seen across the paddock conducting analysis, however the venture by no means received off the bottom. This was partly as a result of the groups weren’t completely happy about offering info and Bernie grew to become involved that if the movie turned out poorly, it could tarnish F1’s status. Judging by how “Pushed” turned out, that was a shrewd transfer on Bernie’s half. Some say it was such a nasty film, it was good.
In the course of the manufacturing of this film, I noticed quite a bit behind the scenes. For starters, the crew had their very own storage in Silverstone. Once I visited on the Thursday morning, I went to each ends of the paddock on the lookout for their storage however was shocked to see them located between the Ferrari and Mercedes’ garages, a major spot in pit lane. Their storage setup was spectacular, possibly even higher than among the groups’. It appeared they’d all the proper gear.
Did I see a automotive within the storage at any stage in Silverstone? Solely on Thursday when the crew provided the media a glimpse of how the storage could be arrange. That didn’t occur once more over the weekend and through periods when the vehicles have been on monitor, F1 photographers and media have been requested to not get too near keep away from revealing plot particulars.
Apparently, my hottest put up of that weekend was merely a photograph of the storage with Brad Pitt’s character’s identify above it and the automotive quantity. Did they’ve a pit wall crew? Sure, and it was prominently seen and captured on video throughout numerous periods utilizing huge digital camera rigs.
Again to Thursday within the paddock, they’d this huge rig with a US $600,000 mechanism on the entrance close to the pit wall. There have been pit boards too; Sonny Hayes had his American flag, and a British flag was featured on Joshua Pearce’s.
What have been the monitor periods like? Two vehicles would exit within the first couple of periods, which I didn’t {photograph}. That they had quite a lot of digital camera gear on the vehicles, and so they have been loud. They drove across the monitor alone with crowds within the stands on Friday and Saturday, filming numerous scenes with the vehicles operating subsequent to one another, behind, and in entrance. Then, on Sunday, each vehicles took off from the grid as I discussed earlier.
Let’s return to the paddock. Simply behind the storage the place a crew would usually have their engineering motorhome, there was an enormous storage space coated by F1 signage. Inside, there was quite a lot of gear wanted for the film. Did they’ve a hospitality motorhome? Sure, it was unmarked and far smaller than every thing else within the paddock. It was a noticeable step down from the others however offered an area for the crew to eat and loosen up throughout downtime.
Why Silverstone for his or her first filming? I believed it was as a result of the pit lane is exclusive. Most different tracks have slender pit partitions, however Silverstone has loads of area, permitting them to arrange quite a lot of digital camera gear between the monitor and pit lane. In addition they had a big crew, simply identifiable by their completely different bibs clearly marked with APX.
I’ve heard that Martin Brundle may also have a cameo function within the film as a driver Sonny raced in opposition to prior to now. That’s a intelligent transfer on the producer’s half as a result of it could entice quite a lot of real followers wanting to see how Martin does in a film. However actually, I believe each single particular person in Formulation 1 will watch this film, and quite a lot of followers will need to see how they painting our sport.
What sponsors does the fictional crew have? IWC Watches, Expensify, Tommy Hilfiger, Mercedes AMG, MSC Cruisers, Geico Insurance coverage, EA Sports activities, Pirelli, OMP race fits, and even the FIA has its brand on the entrance wing.
Let’s speak about how the opposite groups are concerned within the movie. One factor I can let you know is that no crew or driver shall be depicted as a villain or in a destructive gentle. All of the rivalry takes place inside the Apx crew.
How lengthy will we be ready? Most say it will likely be launched in 2026 however it will depend on how manufacturing and enhancing go. Relaxation assured, although, that is going to be a major film for the game and kudos to the folks at F1 who’ve made it occur.
They’ve had to offer the movie crew with quite a lot of entry that has by no means been given to anybody earlier than, and consequently, I believe this film shall be beautiful. But it surely’s a Hollywood film and there’ll seemingly be inconsistencies that you simply and I’ll discover. Nevertheless, the common particular person watching the movie most likely received’t have any curiosity in that.
Every week after the crew filmed at Silverstone, the Display Actors Guild strike kicked in, which means that 4 of the film’s actors couldn’t participate: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, and Javier Bardem. Nevertheless, that didn’t halt manufacturing. They shot with out these forged members in Hungary, Monza, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi and despatched smaller crews to the Netherlands and Spa. In Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, additionally they confirmed up for a variety of particular photographs.
Once I say smaller crews, I imply fewer than 50 folks. Does that sound like rather a lot? It’s not. It is a main manufacturing and in Silverstone, they’d 300 to 400 folks on-site, although not all have been on the monitor; most have been at a facility close by.
It’s price noting that this was the one main studio manufacturing to proceed capturing in the course of the actors’ strike. The editors nonetheless had footage to edit, and a few of that footage needed to be offered by F1 in a special format appropriate for film screens. The plan was all the time to return to F1 in 2024 for the manufacturing crews, though the strike has meant there may be extra to movie, that will have been the case with out the strike.
We’ve already had a small crew in Japan capturing B-roll photographs of the group to be projected behind the vehicles within the studio. An elaborate digital camera rig was arrange behind a Porsche Panamera which was pushed across the monitor on the Saturday and Sunday of the 2024 Japanese GP. There may even be massive items, together with the forged, at Silverstone, Hungary, and Spa. There may even be shoots in Mexico, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi.
In Austin final yr, numerous F1 folks and all of the drivers noticed a brief edit of the footage, and the suggestions was optimistic from all. There’s little question F1 sees this as an enormous alternative for the game, produced by among the largest names within the leisure world.
In April 2024, Brad Pitt and the crew have been seen filming on the 24 hours of Daytona in Florida late January 2024, utilizing a Porsche 911 fitted with a powerful digital camera rig, and so they have been capturing on monitor at Abu Dhabi in March 2024 with a variety of vehicles.
I can’t wait to see this manufacturing hope to snag a seat on the world premiere every time that takes place.
