NEED TO KNOW
The F1 movie starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris was based on several real-life stars of Formula 1
To maintain the story’s authenticity, F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton acted as producer and advisor
One particularly terrifying crash inspired the genesis of Pitt’s character
The F1 movie fictionalizes many of the themes that make Formula 1 the most high-octane, thrilling motorsport.
Produced by Top Gun: Maverick’s Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, F1 follows grizzled racing veteran Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) and his unlikely return to the grid 30 years after a near-fatal accident on track.
When his friend and owner of a faltering F1 team, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), convinces him to make a comeback as one of his two drivers, Sonny must not only get back into the sport that injured him, but also work with his hotshot rookie teammate, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), to deliver results on the track and save the team from collapse. The accident that takes Sonny out of the career in the first place was based on a real-life, near-fatal crash that occurred in 1990.
The Apple movie aimed to be the most authentic film about Formula 1, and to make that happen, Hamilton was brought into the fold as an executive producer and advisor. In March 2025, director Joseph Kosinski told Formula 1 that Hamilton was integral in terms of both technical accuracy and capturing the true perspective of an F1 driver.
“Lewis was instrumental in not only the technical aspects obviously, but in the real kind of formulative stage of the movie,” Kosinski said. “We tell the story of Sonny Hayes, who’s kind of [a] veteran racer, and then Joshua Pierce, who’s a rookie. Lewis has been both.”
Here’s everything to know about F1 and the real-life events that inspired the movie.
Is F1 based on a true story?
Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 on track during F1 Testing at Yas Marina Circuit
While F1 is not based on one true story, its themes take inspiration from a variety of real-life racing events that have transpired since Formula 1’s inception in 1950.
Over the decades, it’s not been uncommon for seasoned Formula 1 drivers to leave the sport to compete in other motorsports categories, then make a comeback to F1 years later — which viewers see in the F1 movie with Sonny leaving the organization to race in other disciplines.
Formula 1 drivers, including Nigel Mansell, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, have departed the paddock after winning the world driver’s championship title, to compete in various other categories like IndyCar, the World Rally Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans World Endurance Championship and the Dakar Rally before eventually returning to F1.
Another similarity Sonny’s story shares with many real-life F1 drivers is a career-changing — or ending — accident. Sonny’s Formula 1 career stalls after a near-fatal crash in the early days of his campaign for the championship, and in a June 2025 episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, Pitt revealed that one former F1 driver’s near-fatal crash during the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix inspired his character’s backstory.
“We based Sonny’s past on Martin Donnelly’s crash,” Pitt said, referencing the high-speed impact that launched Donnelly from his car, leaving him unconscious on the tarmac for nearly 11 minutes. “Martin was so gracious to give us his footage and to allow us to build our character around that,” Pitt added.
Donnelly told the BBC in July 2025 that he helped advise Pitt on set about his behaviors in and out of racing. “He was asking me to direct him around the garage,” the former F1 star said. “I had a superstition of getting in at the left hand side and putting my left leg in first, and he does exactly the same thing in the movie. That was surreal to sit and watch that. You had to pinch yourself at those things.”
An additional theme the F1 movie explores is that of the esteemed veteran versus the up-and-coming sensation. For decades, established champions have been contentiously challenged — and often shockingly defeated — by talented young drivers.
Most recently, the sport saw Hamilton and Max Verstappen compete in the controversial 2021 season with Verstappen taking the title from the seven-time world champion in the final grand prix of the campaign. Hamilton was once in Verstappen’s position as well, entering the sport in 2007 as a 22-year-old rookie who tied the season with two-time champion Alonso, both drivers ultimately losing the title fight by one point to Räikkönen.
Are the characters in F1 based on real people?
Warner Bros
Damson Idris, Brad Pitt F1
Several characters in F1 took inspiration from real people who have worked in Formula 1 racing.
In a June 2025 interview with Today, Kerry Condon revealed that learning about Bernie Collins’ career as a F1 strategy analyst for Sky Sports and F1TV and former strategy engineer for the Aston Martin F1 team helped Condon form her character Kate McKenna, the technical director for APXGP.
“We did take a bit of an artistic license where I play a strategist in certain parts of the movie with the tires and stuff,” Condon said. “I was like, I’ll just do everything. But Bernie had a similar education to me, [went to an] all-girls school and stuff, so I kind of brought in a lot of my own background and made it my own.”
As for Bardem’s character Ruben, the actor told Today he didn’t channel inspiration from a single person in Formula 1, but rather “a mix of different team owners that I would meet or see on documentaries and just put them together.”
Simon Kunz’s character, Don Cavendish, was based on the real-life, bullish commentator Murray Walker.
Did F1 film at real races?
Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, and Damson Idris, co-star of the upcoming Formula One based movie, Apex, walk on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit
Bruckheimer and Kosinski wanted the F1 movie to be as authentic as possible — and with the help of Hamilton, they were able to shoot at several real Formula 1 races throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Operating out of a purpose-made garage at circuits in Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Zandvoort, Sazuka, Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi and Mexico City, the APXGP cars logged real lap time on track with Pitt and Idris behind the wheel.
In a June 2025 interview with Formula 1, Hamilton spoke about how important it was to him to have the two actors understand the demands of F1 inside the cockpit.
“The access we’ve had to Formula 1 is totally unheard of, we actually filmed on race weekends with the film’s 11th team — APXGP, and you’ll definitely see that authenticity come through in the film,” the Ferrari driver said.
Hamilton continued, “I think having Brad and Damson drive was integral to the authenticity of the story … the speed in which you’re processing information, the effect on the body, how strong the brakes are, the G-forces … I think it was really important for them because you can’t fake that. If you’ve not experienced it, you can’t imagine.”
Hamilton added, “By driving these cars — and they both did a great job — I think both of them got a real appreciation for what being a racing driver really means, and that’s what you get to see in the film.”
Kosinski also spoke about the unprecedented involvement the production had on the track during real F1 race weekends in a July 2024 interview with Deadline.
“We’ve got Brad and Damson actually driving the cars, which is pretty spectacular in itself,” he said. “But to do that in front of a live audience and at the speeds they’re doing it and figuring out a way to capture it … The logistics of it are unlike anything I’ve done before.”
Where can I watch F1?
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films
Brad Pitt in F1
F1 will be available to stream on Apple TV on Dec. 12.
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