F1 (film)

F1 is an upcoming American sports action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger featuring the automobile racing championship, created in collaboration with the FIA, its governing body. The film stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem and Sarah Niles.

F1 is scheduled to be theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures on June 25, 2025, internationally, and in the United States on June 27, 2025.

Premise
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend (Javier Bardem) contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) on the Expensify Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).

Cast

 * Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes
 * Damson Idris as Joshua "Noah" Pearce
 * Kerry Condon as Kate
 * Tobias Menzies as Banning
 * Javier Bardem as Ruben, Sonny's friend and APXGP team principal
 * Kim Bodnia as Kaspar
 * Shea Whigham as Chip Hart
 * Joseph Balderrama as Rico Fazio
 * Sarah Niles as Bernadette, Noah's mother
 * Samson Kayo as Cashman
 * Callie Cooke as Jodie

Additionally, all ten Formula One teams, drivers and team members, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr., Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Benoit Treluyer will appear as themselves. Simone Ashley, Abdul Salis, and Will Merrick joined the cast in undisclosed roles.

Production
On December 3, 2021, a bidding war commenced for an untitled film starring Brad Pitt, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Joseph Kosinski, and screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who previously worked on Top Gun: Maverick, on board in their respective roles. Sources said Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was also involved in the film. Studios involved in the bidding were Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures, and streamers Netflix, Apple, and Amazon MGM Studios. Pitt was paid $30 million for his involvement.

In November 2022, Claudio Miranda announced he would be the film's cinematographer. In April 2023, Damson Idris was hired after a lengthy casting process, which included a shortlist of actors driving the car in January 2023. Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies would join the cast in the following months. Sarah Niles and Simone Ashley also joined the cast.

Prior to filming, Pitt and Idris tested Formula Three and Formula Two cars at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France. In July 2023, principal photography began at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom, including filming during the 2023 British Grand Prix weekend on July 8–9. Pitt drove a modified Formula 2 car with an added Formula One aero-package, during the race weekend, but not in an official F1 session. The car was made in collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG F1 team and Carlin Motorsport. Filming also took place at the Hungaroring, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Monza Circuit, Circuit Zandvoort, Suzuka International Racing Course, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and Yas Marina Circuit, as well as at the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona; the #120 Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R competed carrying cameras and using a livery from the film. Speaking with F1 driver Martin Brundle at the 2023 British Grand Prix, Pitt confirmed Javier Bardem would star. In July 2023, ESPN reported that the film was titled Apex, but it later retracted this statement. On July 5, 2024, the film was titled F1; a teaser trailer premiered before the 2024 British Grand Prix.

In May 2024, Puck's Matthew Belloni reported the film's budget to be $300 million. Bruckheimer and Kosinski refuted the claim; the former cited rebates and sponsorships as lowering the budget, and the latter said: "I've never had an experience where they were off by this much on a film. I'm not sure where that number came from."

Music
During the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, Hans Zimmer announced he will be scoring the film, making his second collaboration with Kosinski after Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Release
In June 2022, Apple acquired distribution rights in a package deal worth $130–140 million before above-the-line compensation. In June 2024, Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the theatrical distribution rights from Apple, with the film currently scheduled to be released in the IMAX format internationally on June 25, 2025, and domestically on June 27, 2025. It will become available on Apple TV+ at a later date.