Brad Pitt Stars in ‘Top Gun,’ a Thrilling Formula One Blockbuster/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Brad Pitt and “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski have teamed up for a groundbreaking Formula One film, set to debut June 27. With real track footage, innovative IMAX camera tech, and cooperation from the F1 league, the movie aims to immerse audiences in racing like never before. Pitt plays a fictional veteran driver making a high-stakes comeback.
F1 Film with Brad Pitt: Quick Looks
- Film titled “F1” releases in theaters June 27
- Directed by Joseph Kosinski, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
- Brad Pitt and Damson Idris star as rival teammates
- Real F1 teams, tracks, and cars featured in the shoot
- Cameras built to IMAX quality, but small enough for F1 cars
- Lewis Hamilton served as a producer and advisor
- Story centers on a fictional last-place F1 team
- Pitt’s character races again after a career-ending crash
- Shot during actual Grand Prix weekends, including Silverstone
- Warner Bros. handling theatrical release; Apple financed the film
Brad Pitt Stars in ‘Top Gun,’ a Thrilling Formula One Blockbuster
Deep Look
Brad Pitt Returns to the Fast Lane in Joseph Kosinski’s New Formula One Epic
LOS ANGELES — The adrenaline rush of Formula One racing will roar into theaters this summer in F1, a high-octane drama starring Brad Pitt and directed by Top Gun: Maverick helmer Joseph Kosinski. After years in development, the project is finally set to premiere on June 27, promising to deliver audiences straight into the cockpit with unmatched realism.
Inspired by the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, Kosinski saw an opportunity to turn the rising popularity of Formula One into a cinematic spectacle.
“I don’t think there’s any other sport quite like this,” said Kosinski. “The stakes, the speed, the teammate rivalries — it’s pure drama.”
Hollywood Meets the Paddock
Securing Hollywood talent was easy. Pitt came on board early, with Apple backing the film and Warner Bros. distributing. But getting Formula One to agree was tougher. Convincing the league and its teams required months of trust-building.
“When you approach them, the first fear is that you’re going to make them look bad,” said producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “It was like convincing the Navy all over again for Top Gun.”
The filmmakers eventually earned the league’s trust, gaining unprecedented access: their fictional team built a garage at real Grands Prix, Pitt and Idris stood on the grid at Silverstone, and cameras rolled during live race weekends — a first for any film.
Cutting-Edge Cameras in the Cockpit
To replicate the visceral thrill of F1, Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda shrank IMAX-quality cameras down to cubes small enough to fit into F1 cars — a major leap from their work on Maverick. They built 15 mounts into the vehicles and could operate four at once without affecting performance.
“Every time you see Brad or Damson behind the wheel, they’re actually driving,” Kosinski confirmed. “Nothing’s staged. It’s all real.”
Footage was captured in hair-raising eight-minute bursts between actual qualifying laps.
“It was like a military operation,” Bruckheimer added.
Lewis Hamilton, a producer on the film and seven-time world champion, was impressed. Upon seeing early footage, he simply smiled and said, “It looks fast.”
A Fictional Comeback Story
Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a once-promising F1 talent from the 1990s whose career was cut short by a crash. Now, he races across leagues from Le Mans to dirt tracks — until his old teammate, now a team owner (Javier Bardem), asks him to help save a struggling F1 team by mentoring a rising star (Damson Idris) and racing one last time.
“It’s an underdog story — a washed-up legend with one final shot,” said Kosinski. “It’s emotional and thrilling.”
Pitt reportedly trained for three months to master F1 driving, reaching speeds of up to 180 mph on real tracks — often in front of live crowds of over 100,000.
“The happiest moment? When we wrapped Pitt’s last drive,” Bruckheimer said. “It’s exhilarating — and dangerous.”
A Global Blockbuster in the Making?
The production resembled a real F1 team, with six race cars and a traveling crew shuttled to races around the globe. Though rumors pegged the budget at $300 million, both Kosinski and Bruckheimer said the actual cost was “substantially lower.”
Still, it’s a major gamble — one the filmmakers hope will pay off with summer audiences.
“It’s got emotion, humor, incredible racing, and a Hans Zimmer score,” Bruckheimer teased. “You don’t need to know a thing about Formula One to enjoy it.”
Early test screenings reportedly scored high with both male and female viewers. And thanks to Apple’s involvement, a strong global release is all but guaranteed.
As Pitt trades jets for race cars, F1 promises to bring the speed, sweat, and soul of elite racing to the big screen like never before.
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