After filming neon-streaked light cycle races in Tron: Legacy and high-altitude dogfights in Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski brings the summer blockbuster to the Formula One circuit.
Officially licensed by Formula 1, the Brad Pitt-led F1: The Movie one-ups previous motorsport films with unparalleled access to real-life racing seasons, immersive first-person camerawork from modified cars, and cameos by champion drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Pitt steers aerodynamic beasts as Sonny Hayes, a yesteryear driver hired as a last-ditch option by FI team APX GP, an outfit much closer to bankruptcy than titles. Meanwhile, Londoner Damson Idris plays Pitt’s impetuous, insecure young teammate Joshua Pearce.
Together, the veteran and the rookie trot across the globe’s flashiest Grade 1 circuits, with occasional pitstops for a pint at the pub and a post-race party at a Las Vegas club. This is how and where they pulled it all off.
Where were the races of F1: The Movie filmed?
The racing scenes were all shot at actual tracks, from trial laps at Silverstone Circuit in the UK to a final nail-biter at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Daytona International Speedway, Florida
Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is introduced in a non-F1 setting at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway that hosts the ‘24 Hours of Daytona’. To footage of the endurance race, a fictional ‘Chip Hart Racing’ team was embedded within the 2024 edition. The crew used a Porsche and a BMW (from competing Daytona teams Wright Motorsport and Turner Motorsport) for the rainswept opening race sequence.
Silverstone, UK
Once Sonny’s skills behind the wheel are established, he attempts a Formula One comeback with training sessions and early races at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix. Located near villages of Northamptonshire, Silverstone hosted Kosinski and his crew during July 2023’s Grand Prix weekend.
Filming took place during practice laps or the short breaks during actual races. Pitt and Idris really did most of the driving, pushing the pedal on modified Formula 2 cars with Formula 1 fittings.
The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi
Other tracks used in the film include Hungary’s Hungaroring, Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Italy’s famous Monza Circuit, Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Japan’s Suzuka course, Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and finally, Abu Dhabi’s futuristic Yas Marina Circuit – the last track of the season.
Where were the non-racing scenes filmed?
Christina’s Coin Laundry, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
After his Daytona victory, Sonny Hayes can be spotted at Christina’s Coin Laundry, which operates every day of the week at Florida’s New Smyrna Beach. This is where he runs into his former teammate and now manager of APX GP, Ruben (Javier Bardem).
Pappas Drive-In and Family Restaurant, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
As Ruben tries to persuade Sonny to come out of retirement, the racer grabs a bite at the neighbouring Pappas Drive-In and Family Restaurant.
The eatery has been a local staple since 1970. Sadly, shortly after F1 wrapped filming here in March 2024, Pappas Drive-In burnt down in a fire. The site remains closed, with the owners confirming the restaurant’s demolition in a social media post from August. It might be some consolation that Pappas is now immortalised on screen, as the hungriest movie star in cinema history tucks into one of its pies.
McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, England
After a career-ending injury, Sonny is shown to have left the competitive racing circuit in the 1990s. As he plans his big comeback to F1, we find him and young rookie Joshua undergoing rigorous physical training and attending press conferences at the APX GP headquarters. The team might be struggling on the leaderboard, but APX’s base boasts sleek, spacious modernist architecture.
The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking stood in for the fictional team’s headquarters. One shot shows Damson Idris using the high-tech facilities to push his physical limits, while Pitt jogs around the distinctive semi-circular glass building. Opened in 2004, the building has also been used in Star Wars series Andor as a spaceport on the planet Coruscant.
The Globe Inn, Leighton Buzzard, England
In between practice sessions for his big Formula 1 return, Sonny meets the team’s technical director, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), as they indulge in some friendly banter over pints. The rendezvous spot in this case is The Globe Inn, a cosy pub nestled by the Grand Union Canal in the Bedfordshire market town of Leighton Buzzard.
Omnia Nightclub and Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, USA
When his F1 team makes its way to Las Vegas for the US Grand Prix, Joshua has a moment of clarity at a nightclub inside Caesar’s Palace. The club sequence also features a cameo from Dutch DJ Tiesto, who performs his Sexxy Red collaboration OMG!, an exclusive single that features on the film’s soundtrack.
A mainstay in numerous Las Vegas-set films, the interiors of Caesar’s Palace also feature when Condon’s Kate McKenna ‘parent traps’ bickering teammates Joshua and Sonny into a conciliatory drink.
Who stars in F1: The Movie?
Brad Pitt gets top billing in F1: The Movie for playing racer Sonny Hayes, joined by Snowfall star Damson Idris as his teammate Joshua. The Banshees of Inisherin breakout Kerry Condon plays APX GP’s technical director Kate, while Oscar-winner Javier Bardem supports the ensemble as team owner Reuben.
Other cast members include Tobias Menzies (The Crown), Kim Bodnia (Konstantin in Killing Eve), and Sarah Niles (Dr Fieldstone in Ted Lasso). Many real-life F1 drivers and team CEOs appear as themselves, including the likes of Lewis Hamilton (who also serves as producer and consultant), Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and many more.
When does F1: The Movie come out?
F1: The Movie releases on June 25 in UK and Ireland cinemas and June 27 in the US. The film is scheduled for a streaming release on Apple TV+ after its theatrical run.
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