WHEN F1 NOW COMES TO THE WHITE SCREEN, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A FAST-PACED RACE. IT'S ABOUT A FOUR-YEAR FILMING PERIOD, ON THREE CONTINENTS. ADD TO THIS TEN REAL FORMULA 1 RACES AND YOU HAVE THE COMPONENTS OF WHAT WILL BE THE SUMMER'S BIGGEST MOVIE.
PHOTO WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT

BRAD PITT MUST not work if he doesn't want to. It's been more than 30 years since he broke through in Thelma & Louise, and today – almost 100 successful films later – he is one of the world's most famous and wealthy movie stars. He could spend all his time at the vineyard in the south of France, enjoying the sunshine, beautiful scenery, having a drink and chatting nonsense with his best friend and neighbor George Clooney.
But sometimes film projects come along that he can't resist. He has always loved fast vehicles, mostly motorcycles, but when the idea came up to make a film about Formula 1 where he would also get to drive – for real – he couldn't say no.

– It was just a dream come true, said Brad Pitt about playing the lead role in the action-packed racing movie F1 at a press conference in Mexico City. I've literally been trying to make a racing film for decades. And whether it was on a motorcycle or in a car, for some reason it just never happened. I'm so grateful for the extraordinary experience this film has given me. In F1, we follow fictional retired former Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes as he returns to the sport after several years of absence. The road back is anything but easy, with all the pressure and skepticism that comes with it. Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisheer) plays team manager Kate McKenna, while Damson Idris (Snowfall) plays rookie driver Joshua Pearce. Along with Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) and Kim Bodnia (Bron), they make up the team APX GP. The film is directed by Joseph Koinski (Top Gun: Maverick). Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton is one of the producers of the film. Brad Pitt and Jerry Bruckheimer also serve as producers.

For anyone wondering if Brad Pitt really drives the car in the movie, the answer is yes. In fact, one of the most important things for the entire film production was that Brad Pitt and Damson Idris would actually drive themselves.
No stuntmen here. Brad Pitt hadn't driven a race car before he started training for the film, but he grew up riding motocross in Missouri and has been riding motorcycles on the track for fun for many years.
The film F1 is unique in that it was filmed during some real F1 race. Brad Pitt and Damson Idris were even seen on site alongside the well-known F1 drivers during some official race weekends. Lewis Hamilton was initially skeptical that Brad Pitt would actually be able to drive a car believably in the film. But when he saw him behind the wheel with the gas pedal at full throttle, he became more at ease.

– Brad is a racing driver at heart, says the seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton to GQ. The actors drove the car for real. In several scenes they go out onto the track in front of packed stands. The audience at Silverstone 2023 was rightly surprised when Brad Pitt and Damson Idris stood with the real drivers on the podium and sang the national anthem while Kosinki and the crew filmed. The footage was used in the film, but the TV broadcasts showing the race cut these scenes.
– I drove in front of 80,000 people in the stands that day, Brad Pitt tells GQ. I didn't crash the car, I didn't hit the wall, I didn't get stuck. Everything went well! The film production, however, was anything but
than a bed of roses. The pandemic created delays and shortly after Silverstone 2023, the writers' strike occurred in the US. The strike meant that all productions had to be canceled and postponed. In order to keep up with real races around the world, they ended up filming over a four-year period, on three continents, and during more than ten real Formula 1 races in, among others, Spa in Belgium, Mexico City, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.

However, when Brad reflects on the difficulties, he sees the matter positively from a personal perspective.
– I got to spend more time in the car, and it was amazing. I could sit in the car and feel absolute happiness. In the film, Brad Pitt and Damson Idris don't drive real F1 cars, but cars that are assembled from less powerful engines and bodies, designed by Mercedes to look like F1 cars. The cars were packed with small but powerful IMAX-certified cameras, which the film crew brought out when they
worked on the movie Top Gun: Maverick. Many wonder if Lewis Hamilton ever drove the movie car.
– No, never, Lewis tells GQ. From a racing driver's perspective, you don't want to. When you drive a Formula 1 car, you don't really want to go back. Before and during the filming of F1, Brad became friends with Lewis Hamilton and several other Formula 1 superstars. He says there is a lot in common between his experiences as a movie star and them.

“There is an isolation,” Pitt says. “Even a loneliness when you don’t feel like things are going your way.”
works. It usually leads to something bigger and you can find a purpose in it. But there is a clear isolation and that is not necessarily a negative thing. Even though the car and the sport are very
risky, it seems like a haven for F1 drivers and Brad Pitt felt the same way. In the car he was isolated, cut off from the noise his movie star status means. His private life has been in the news constantly, for more than 30 years. When he drives a car, he feels a calmness. When the undersigned has met Brad over the years, he has told me that he has various tricks to avoid being recognized, when he feels like being a little anonymous. Driving a car is one way. Another is that when he comes to a new place, he usually gets a bicycle, because then not many people recognize him – and if they do, he can quickly cycle away.
Despite his superstar status, Brad has always felt down to earth. He always takes the time to greet me with a firm handshake and a smile. One time, however, he didn't shake my hand, then he apologized and explained that he had a stuffy nose and a cold, and he didn't want me to catch it. Another time when I
entered the interview room, he was on all fours on the floor, wiping up water he had spilled, even though any of the billion assistants he had around him could have wiped it up for him. In recent years, he has avoided interviews as much as he can, largely because of his highly publicized divorce from Angelina Jolie. Which he would rather not comment on.
He tells GQ that he now values the time he spends with his children and friends highly, and that the acting profession has had to take a small step back.
– I've had a good acting career, but in recent years I've actually turned down most things. These days I'm more interested in producing than in front of the camera. I get a kick out of producing films with quirky stories that I want the world to see. Brad Pitt is one of the partners in the successful film production company Plan B, which was awarded Oscars for films such as The Departed, 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight.

He is also the frontman for the skincare brand Le Domaine, a luxury brand where some of the ingredients come from the grapes on his vineyard. Château Miraval in Provence. Château Miraval is Brad's favorite place on earth. He feels a sense of peace there. Fresh air, wonderful nature, frogs singing, animals and creativity. Best friend George Clooney also has a large property nearby, and there is plenty of space at the castle for friends and family to gather. Brad recently said in an interview that he prioritizes other values as he gets older.
– It's about quality of life. Ultimately, I want to feel good, be in good health, and socialize.
with family and friends.

BRAD PITT
Age: 61.
Profession: Actor, producer.
Family Six children with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Is with girlfriend Ines de Ramon. Brief background: Grew up in Springfield, Missouri. Dropped out of journalism school to seek her fortune in Hollywood. Came to Los Angeles with a couple hundred dollars in her pocket, did small roles in TV series like Dallas and 21 Jump Street and slept on friends' couches. Had her breakthrough in 1991 in the feature film Thelma & Louise. 
Featured films: Thelma & Louise, Where the River Flows, Interview With The Vampire, Legends of Fall, Seven, Army of the Twelve Monkeys, Seven Years in Tibet, Fight Club, Ocean's Eleven movies, Troy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglorious Basterds, World War Z, 12 Years A Slave, The Big Short, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Ad Astra, Wolfs.
Current: At the cinema in the movie F1