Formula 1 drivers and team personnel gathered for a private screening of the upcoming F1 movie just days ahead of the iconic Monaco Grand Prix. Following the event, Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg has compared the production to Drive to Survive as he praised its “fresh perspective”.
Talking on the Thursday ahead of the race weekend, Hulkenberg discussed the movie with Motorsport.com and other media.
“I did [like it], yeah, I think it was cool, interesting, give some, you know, additional and again further insights, you know, compared to Drive to Survive, some more behind the scenes stuff, so yeah, I think it was good,” the German said.
He admitted that he and his colleagues would unsurprisingly be looking at the finer details.
“Because we are in this bubble always, [we] tend to look for small mistakes,” he explained. “Well, look, it’s a movie, it’s Hollywood as well, right? So it’s more about taking a step back and seeing the broader picture.
“It’s not about the fine details that everything is accurate, but I think it’s still a new fresh perspective, telling the public what the teams or drivers do, what goes on, how much goes in, so it builds more of a picture again, I think. Some good actors in there too,” he added.
According to the driver, he has very little screen time himself.
Actor Brad Pitt during filming for an upcoming movie
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
61-year-old Brad Pitt: Hulkenberg’s “new role model”
In a light-hearted exchange, the driver was asked about 61-year-old Brad Pitt portraying an F1 driver still competing in the sport.
Laughing, he responded: “Yes, I love it. It’s my role model now. This is my new aim.
“He was not there last night.”
Hulkenberg’s only disappointment with the movie had nothing to do with the production, but instead its lack of popcorn.
“No, Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] said a few words and then Joe [Kosinski, director] and Jerry [Bruckheimer, producer] said a bit but not too much, and then we just watched the movie, just a movie, but no popcorn unfortunately,” Hülkenberg complained with a smile. “That was a bit of a letdown. We were all really disappointed [with the lack of popcorn],” he joked.
A star-studded Monaco screening
Wednesday saw the majority of the grid descend upon Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum for the private screening. Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll failed to attend, with Verstappen admitting in the press conference today that he simply wanted to spend time with his family.
“At some point I’ll watch it,” Stroll added.
F1 is scheduled for release globally on 25 June, 2025. The United States and Canada will get access two days later.
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