Inside the ‘F1’ movie premiere in New York – and why some drivers didn’t attend

The F1 paddock made a mad dash from Montreal to Manhattan following Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix for the world premiere of the ‘F1’ movie. The highly-anticipated Brad Pitt flick debuted on the big screen at Radio City Music Hall, a couple of blocks away from the red carpet in the heart of New York City.

Of the grid’s 20 drivers, 15 jetted to the Big Apple on Monday morning, and checked into a swanky hotel uptown. There was no time for sightseeing, however, as the drivers got themselves red carpet ready within a matter of hours and headed to Times Square. They were joined by the film’s cast and creatives, along with a handful of other celebrities including Suni Lee, Lindsey Vonn, John Mayer and Dom Dolla. 

A few notable people were missing, including Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Fresh off his first podium finish, the 18-year-old had to skip the festivities to fly back to Italy for his final school exams. Safe to say, there probably wasn’t much champagne involved in that post-race celebration.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri had team commitments with McLaren elsewhere in the US, so he headed there directly from Canada. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen flew home to spend time with his newborn daughter before testing his team’s GT3 car at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Both Aston Martin drivers – Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso – also opted to sit this one out.

While the premiere was a splashy event for VIPs and press, none of the drivers actually watched the film in New York. They already had a private screening in Monaco last month, but Verstappen and Stroll weren’t there for that either, so they’ll have to squeeze in a viewing on their own time. (Spoiler alert: Verstappen gets a shout-out from Pitt’s character on the team radio in the movie). 

After the red carpet, the group went to Top of the Rock for a photo opp in front of the iconic Manhattan skyline, while Lewis Hamilton joined his co-producers on stage at Radio City before the screening began. He looked dapper in Dior and completed the look with a diamond and ruby-encrusted goat brooch. Will Buxton, David Croft and Martin Brundle were among the few F1 personalities in the audience who posed for photos with fans before heading to the after party at Cipriani.