Brad Pitt has revealed the track that he felt was the \u201chighest of highs\u201d after experiencing various circuits on the calendar \u2013 both as a driver and spectator \u2013 during filming of F1 The Movie.<\/p>\n
With much of the motion picture captured during actual Grand Prix weekends, Pitt was able to get a taste of several venues, including Silverstone<\/a> \u2013 where some of the first scenes were filmed \u2013 and Abu Dhabi<\/a>, both tracks that he enjoyed.<\/p>\n However, reflecting on his favourite circuits during an appearance on F1\u2019s Beyond The Grid<\/a> podcast, Pitt cited Belgium\u2019s Spa-Francorchamps<\/a> as a particularly special one.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a real love for Silverstone because we got our footing there and we got to live there for a couple of months \u2013 how spoiled are we?\u201d said Pitt. \u201cAnd then I have a real soft spot for Abu Dhabi because we spent another couple of months there and we finished up the film there.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the high of highs? Spa. Oh my god! 4.3 miles, 100-metre elevation change through the woods and the back. The Pouhon corner, it’s double [apex]. It’s off-camber and you’re coming downhill into it. It’s such a smooth, graceful feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then of course Eau Rouge. We went to the bottom of Eau Rouge. Tim Bampton from F1 took us down to the base of Eau Rouge, and he said, \u201cTurn your backs, just look up the hill and wait\u201d. And the cars come right by the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cFernando [Alonso]<\/a> went by, and it literally sucks the air out of your lungs. It is unbelievable. It is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n With Pitt and co-star Damson Idris both getting behind the wheel for the film<\/a>\u2019s driving sequences \u2013 in their respective roles as returning driver Sonny Hayes and rookie Joshua Pearce \u2013 the actors were able to experience some of the circuits for themselves.<\/p>\n However, Pitt felt that what he was doing did not compare to what he witnessed from watching the F1 drivers on track.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was that same weekend we were driving,\u201d he explained of the Spa experience. \u201cI’d been out but I’m not doing what Fernando was doing! When I first saw him flat-out around Copse at Silverstone \u2013 it is staggering, it\u2019s breathtaking.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting back on the experience of filming at Silverstone for the first time at the 2023 British Grand Prix \u2013 during which Pitt and Idris stood alongside the drivers for the national anthem<\/a> before the race \u2013 Pitt said: \u201cIt\u2019s nutty, but it brings an energy to the film itself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s like a race to make sure we get these scenes. We’re going to shoot it on the grid. We’ve embedded ourself in the race weekend. We have to prove ourselves. We will not cock up the programme and slow down the race, and we won’t be in anyone’s way!<\/p>\n