Real Formula 1 drivers share their thoughts on Brad Pitt’s movie: “A bit too Hollywood, but I enjoyed the whole film”

Joseph Kosinski’s new sports drama movie F1: The Movie is set to hit theaters late June. It stars Brad Pitt in the lead role as the talented, but haplessly unlucky driver Sonny Hayes, destined for greatness until an untimely accident leaves his F1 career in tatters.

Along with costars Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies and Damson Idris, F1: The Movie also features drivers from the 10 Formula One teams of the 2023 season such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll... etc, who appear as themselves as the movie was partially shot during Grand Prix races of the 2023 season.

Fans scramble for F1 premiere tickets

Described as “a landmark for the sport and cinema” - a high-octane, action-packed feature film that would “immerse viewers in the exhilarating and cinematic world of F1″, many of the Fan-First Premiere Screenings which will take place worldwide on 23 June have already sold out.

And many of the F1 drivers who appeared in cameo roles were invited to watch an advanced screening of the movie in Monaco. Most of them attended - Max Verstappen being a noticeable absence. So what did they think of it?

Overall, the reaction was positive. Carlos Sainz enthused, “For the hardcore fan and for journalists, we will see things that might be a bit too American or a bit too Hollywood. But honestly, I enjoyed the whole film. There were things that really surprised me. The team have done an outstanding job in putting together, I think, it’s a very good Hollywood movie.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris added: “It was a cool story, I think an inspirational story – it had a lot of different meanings behind it all. But a cool storyline and a lot of inspiration for young people coming into it.”

F1 drivers impressed by camera work and post-production editing

“I was really impressed to be honest, because the way they integrated the drivers and the team principals into a Hollywood movie, it was like we are real characters in this Hollywood scene,” was George Russell’s verdict. “So as an F1 fan, you kind of find a bit of comedy in that, just seeing us popping up here and there with Brad Pitt!”

Kimi Antonelli felt that the movie was “long but really well made”, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc accepted that although it contains a few inaccuracies, “The scenes are incredible. I’m super impressed by how the camera was put onto the cars and the angles that we see from the cars driving. It’s amazing for F1 because we are reaching people that we wouldn’t have reached without this movie.”

Formula 1 and Apple Original Films announced that ‘F1: The Movie’ will be distributed in theaters and in IMAX by Warner Bros, showing internationally from June 25, 2025, and in North America from June 27, 2025.

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