OSCAR winner Brad Pitt says “F1 The Movie” is “funny, aggressive, driving, and surprisingly heartwarming,” describing it as “so damn entertaining on so many levels.” The Apple Original Films title, released by Warner Bros. Pictures, is now showing in Philippine cinemas.
Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a once-promising Formula 1 phenom whose career was cut short by an accident. Three decades later, his former teammate Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem, convinces him to get back behind the wheel to help save a struggling team. Damson Idris co-stars as hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce, whose ambition tests Sonny both on and off the track.
“I still don’t know how we got away with it,” Pitt said about the film’s authentic approach, which put him and Idris into real F1 cars at racing speeds. “The forces in these cars — the high-speed corners — it’s shocking what they can do. It's high unlike any other I’ve ever experienced.”
Director Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) and producer Jerry Bruckheimer pushed for realism, with input from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who joined as a producer to ensure the racing sequences felt true to the sport.
“What really struck me [about F1] is the underdog teams at the back of the pack,” Kosinski said. “That was a story ripe for film — underdogs fighting to break into the top ten, or just survive as a team.”
Hamilton said the focus on authenticity is what drew him in. “It’s so important for the new fans and for people like me who grew up with it. From day one, the goal was to make this the most authentic racing movie ever made.”
“F1 The Movie” also stars Kerry Condon and Tobias Menzies. The film integrates real racing events from the Formula 1 calendar to deliver what Pitt calls “the most visceral driving experience that’s ever been put on film.”
“Threading that needle was the biggest challenge,” Pitt said. “But we did it — making it enlightening for newcomers without dumbing it down for hardcore fans. I love all these characters. It’s just so damn entertaining.”
Catch the trailer here and watch “F1 The Movie” in theaters nationwide. PR