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F1: The Movie has all the hallmarks of a summer blockbuster: thrilling pace, a snappy soundtrack, a classic narrative climax—and superstar actors. It’s also a never-seen before coming together of two entertainment and cultural powerhouses. The movie, which stars Brad Pitt as racing legend Sonny Hayes and Javier Bardem, as Ruben Cervantes of a Formula One Team, as well as Damon Idris, as a young gun driver with impulsive tendencies, not only heralds th mega moment the sport is having, but also does what no racing movie has done before—immerses itself completely into the world of the sport. In real-time.
Apple Original Films’ film was so successful that Formula 1 officially licensed it and integrated the production into their racing calendar. Joseph Kosinski has adopted the immersive, dynamic shooting style of Top Gun Maverick, followed a high-speed schedule on the track; and Pitt and the movie crew were regularly sighted at a number of races during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, shoulder to shoulder—or should we say nose to tail—with actual drivers and their cars. The garages, the crowds, and even the cars themselves provided the perfect sets. The fictional APX GP race team was essentially the 11th in the 10-team sport. They dismantled and shipped their garage and cars from race to race, just like the other teams.
This means that you’ll see almost every F1 driver on screen—Lewis Hamilton himself came on as producer—as well as team bosses. Hamilton’s beloved dog Roscoe makes an appearance. The fans will be delighted to see the real-life racing. They may also recognize references to other racing movies like Le Mans You can also find out more about Days of Thunder (Jerry Bruckheimer also works as a producer for F1.) However, F1: The Movie has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience that just enjoys an immersive, fast-paced romp in which you can get behind a back-of-the-field team—no matter the odds.
We got on a call with the film’s London-based production designer Ben Munro and asked him to take us through the thrills of trackside action and spill the tea on off-track locations—from a Bedfordshire pub to a coin laundromat in Florida Here are some real F1 team headquarter offices.
What is your relationship to Formula 1?
As a young boy, I also enjoyed watching the show. It was a world of glamour and excitement. Those were the Ayrton Senna days, Nigel Mansell, Schumacher… So, when I first got the call, it was like, wow, okay, this is mega exciting, the little boy in me is able to kind of come out again. The sport has changed so much since then, so I had a lot to learn.
How many races did you film at? Was there a particular race that Joseph (Kosinski), the team, and you found more appealing than others?
It was nine races. We started in Silverstone and then moved to HungaryMonza is a spa town in Italy. BelgiumA splinter group of the Dutch Grand Prix Japan, Mexico CityAbu Dhabi Las VegasAnd back to Silverstone. Joe made the decisions, even if they weren’t always linear. [Kosinski] The races that have the most important story points should be chosen. It’s obvious that there are some tracks which are more iconic than others, yes? Silverstone is where F1 began; Spa, Belgium, for the Eau Rouge, one of the most challenging and iconic corners on the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps; Japan, because the fans there are incredible; and Abu Dhabi, because it was the last race and the story needed to end here.
