The ‘F1’ movie releases in the United Kingdom next week after an enormous marketing campaign. The sport itself and its broadcasters have helped to promote the Apple Studios production.
Brad Pitt stars in the lead role, while Ferrari superstar Lewis Hamilton was involved in the production. Filmmakers consulted Hamilton on whether their ideas were realistic.
The fictional APXGP team were allotted a place on the grid ahead of last year’s British GP. They were also granted a garage unit at multiple races.
On Monday, almost every driver attended the film’s US premiere in New York City. Absent world champion Max Verstappen completed yet another GT3 test at Spa.
Lewis Hamilton embarrassed as F1 drivers can’t contain laughter at ‘over the top’ scene
The movie prides itself on its authenticity, but according to ESPN, there was one scene that the drivers saw as way ‘over the top’. They first watched it well before the premiere at a Monaco Grand Prix screening.
One of the characters crashes heavily in a wet race at Monza, home of the Italian GP. The moment is partly based on Romain Grosjean’s extraordinary accident at the Bahrain GP in 2020.
It’s supposed to be a ‘critical moment of high drama and tension’, but ‘multiple sources’ say that the drivers ‘burst into laughter’. They clearly thought it was far-fetched.
This was potentially an oversight for Hamilton and his production team. F1 fans will cast their own judgement when they see it.
The ‘APXGP’ F1 car once affected Fernando Alonso in qualifying
Ironically, the film may not be designed for racing drivers or hardcore fans. Apple have tried to broaden its appeal beyond the experts.
Some F1 cars have been turned into APXGP cars during post-production. Regular viewers will recognise real-life racing moments from the 2023 season.
Their level of access was so great that Fernando Alonso was once hampered by an APXGP car in an official qualifying session. He parked behind it in the pit lane following a red flag and wasn’t able to take any further part.
The budget for the F1 film was around £200m, putting major pressure on its box-office performance.
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