Ahead of the Monaco GP, the 2025 F1 grid got a first-look at the upcoming F1 Movie starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, set for an international release on June 25th. With input from seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the Briton played an essential role—during both the scriptwriting and production process—in ensuring the movie’s scenes as accurate as possible.
The 2025 grid got an exclusive first-look at the movie during a private screening on Wednesday. After years of filming in the paddock and at races, filmmakers finally revealed the story of the fictional team APX GP. The plot follows seasoned driver Sonny Hayes, played by Pitt, as he comes out of retirement to join forces with rising star Joshua Pearce, played by Idris, in a bid to return the team to the top.
All drivers, apart from Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, were in attendance for the screening in Monaco. After watching the F1 Movie, drivers were impressed with some of its accuracies and shared their thoughts on it.
Lando Norris
“I was brilliant in it and that was the main thing,” the McLaren driver joked.
“It was a very good movie, a nice storyline – I don’t know how much I can and can’t say.
“It was a cool story, I think an inspirational story – it had a lot of different meanings behind it all. But a cool storyline and a lot of inspiration for young people coming into it.”
Oliver Bearman
“I thought the movie was fantastic,” the 20 year-old said.
Bearman thought the movie presented the sport well with a Hollywood twist to it.
“It really depicts what we go through, [but] in a bit of a Hollywood way, as you would expect.
“It’s going to make people want to watch F1, which is really the goal of it. The onboard shots and the work that they did was actually quite incredible – it was impressive to see the technology that they can use.”
The Briton added that although there are inaccuracies, the dramatisation makes the film more entertaining.
“There were some funny parts, but it was meant to be like that. Of course, there are some things that aren’t fully accurate… like the standard movie scene where they’re going side by side in the straights and suddenly the other guy finds another gear. But that’s a typical movie thing, and I think it makes it super captivating for the audience.
“There’s a small minority of us that will maybe find that a bit untrue, but I think for the majority it’s going to be a fantastic movie.”
Carlos Sainz
“I truly enjoyed it. I think for us F1 experts we’re going to see things a bit like we sometimes see with [Drive to Survive].
“You can tell they’re a bit Hollywood-esque. I truly believe that it will attract a lot of new audiences and it will do very well for the people that don’t know anything about Formula 1.”
Despite highlighting a few minor mistakes that drivers and hardcore fans might notice, the Williams driver generally enjoyed the movie.
“For the hardcore fan and for journalists we will see things that might be a bit too American or a bit too Hollywood. But honestly I enjoyed the whole film.
“There were things that really surprised me and the team have done an outstanding job in putting together a very good Hollywood movie. Let’s see what the people think.”
Fernando Alonso
Alonso said: “I liked the movie. I think it represents Formula 1 quite well, which is never a guarantee in these kind of movies.
“It is a good thing for our sport, because everyone will [want] to see a Formula 1 race – hopefully – after seeing the movie.
“It’s not a documentary, it’s still a movie, so there were a couple of [inaccuracies], but I would say that nearly all of the movie, in terms of track action, was very original and very representative, so that was a good thing.”
The two-time World Champion praised the film’s representative scenes and believes it will generate good publicity for the sport.
Esteban Ocon
“It was super immersive,” Ocon praised.
“The driving scenes were fantastic, and something we’ve never seen before. There were things that didn’t make too much sense for us as drivers being inside the paddock, but I really see where Lewis [Hamilton] has put his touch on it to try and make everything as realistic as possible.
“There were still some parts that needed to be a little bit more Hollywood, which is obviously open for all the public and needs to be catching the eye of everyone.”
The Frenchman spoke highly of the movie.
“For us, there are a few things that I would have liked to be more racing focused and maybe a bit less crashing… but I think overall it’s still by far the best racing movie of all time and it will have a mega success.”
Liam Lawson
“I think it’s going to be huge when it comes out – it has the potential to be one of the biggest movies of the year.
“It captures the feeling of being in Formula 1, and that’s really, really cool.
“I wasn’t really racing when most of the filming was done, so I was surprised I even featured.”, Lawson joked.
“I didn’t know what to expect.”
Noting that although it may have its flaws, Lawson believes the movie will captivate first-time F1 viewers.
“I can imagine somebody who’s watching F1 for the first time by watching that movie – they’re going to think it’s amazing. You can always poke holes, but it’s a movie at the end of the day, and I’m sure it’s the same if you’re watching Top Gun.
“I’m sure if you’re a fighter pilot and you’re watching a movie like that, you’re going to pick [apart] things in there that you might see differently.”
Nico Hülkenberg
“It’s Hollywood, so you need to take a step back and see the broader picture.”
Hülkenberg praised the movie for its fresh perspective and praised the actors, joking that Pitt was now his new role model.
“It’s not about the fine details, but I think it’s still a new, fresh perspective. There were some good actors in there too. Brad Pitt is my role model now, my new aim is to [drive in F1 at age 61].”
Pierre Gasly
“It was really cool to be able to watch the movie for the first time,” the Frenchman said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to dive into our world. It’s a Hollywood movie, and I’m a big fan of Brad Pitt, who makes us all look very good as a Formula 1 driver.
“Production also did a fantastic job – I hope that people from the outside are going to enjoy it.”
Charles Leclerc
“We are looking at it as Formula 1 drivers and we always try and see all the small details that are not exactly [accurate], but it’s just very Hollywood-like and I think that’s really cool because it’s not for F1 drivers, it’s for a broader audience.”
Leclerc was impressed by the driving scenes and praised the onboard angles alongside Pitt’s performance.
“The [driving] scenes are incredible. I’m super impressed by how the camera was put onto the cars and the angles that we see from the cars driving. I know that Brad drove a little bit himself, which is very impressive and I’m sure he enjoyed it.
“It’s amazing for F1 because we are reaching people that we wouldn’t have reached without this movie.”
Isack Hadjar
“I think it was weird to watch a movie about Formula 1,” the Frenchman admitted.
“It was quite strange and I think it’s going to send the sport into another dimension again.”
Hadjar believes the film could grow and serve as a good introduction for new fans.
“I think it’s going to make the sport even bigger, which is nice. It’s hard to give feedback as drivers because we’re really critical, but if you’re a kid or someone who doesn’t know about the sport, I think it’s the best way to get started.”
Alex Albon
Albon said: “I think they’ve found a good balance.
“It’s hard to not look at everything with a fine comb and just relax and watch it as a movie. I think for Hollywood, they did a good job.”
Gabriel Bortoleto
“It’s going to be very good for those that still don’t know much about the sport.”
Bortoleto believes the film will be a great way for newcomers to learn and feel connected to the sport.
“For us drivers, we live this every day, so we know every detail… but for those that don’t know so much about Formula 1, they can learn and they can get involved with us.”
