Esteban Ocon has praised Lewis Hamilton’s input in the upcoming F1 movie, as he gave an enthusiastic review. However, the Haas driver jokingly compared himself to Tom Holland and his famous Spider-Man spoilers after he accidentally gave a little too much away.
The Formula 1 drivers had the opportunity to view the F1 movie, directed by Joseph Kosinski, in a private screening ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. With all the drivers, apart from Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, attending the event, it is no surprise that it has become a hot topic in the F1 paddock.
While speaking to Motorsport.com and other media ahead of the race in Monte Carlo, Ocon shared his thoughts on the film and praised seven-time champion Hamilton, who acted as executive producer.
“I think, first of all, I said to Lewis, super immersive scenes with them driving the cars, and I think that’s fantastic. That’s something we’ve never seen before. I think there were some great racing scenes like Daytona, for example, when you know there were good battles down the inside and stuff like that. I think, overall, it was a great movie.
“I think at some points there were things that didn’t really make too much sense for us as drivers being inside the paddock every time and racing. But I really see where Lewis has put his touch to try and make everything as realistic as possible.”
At this point, he reveals a major plot point towards the end of the movie before being stopped. After apologising, the French driver swiftly moved on to the accuracy of the film. He continued:
“I think some of the parts, you can really feel that Lewis has pushed to keep it super realistic. But there were some parts that they needed to make it a little bit more Hollywood, which is obviously open for all the public and needs to be catching the eye of everyone.
Brad Pitt, Damson Idris
Photo by: Erik Junius
“For us, there are a few things that I would have liked to be more racing-focused and maybe a bit less crashing points and stuff like that and more racing. But I think overall it’s still by far the best racing movie of all time, and it will [be] a mega success.
“And I feature quite a lot in it, in racing, but I’m glad I didn’t have too many incidents with Sonny Hayes,” he laughed.
Ocon’s race engineer Laura Mueller became the first female to take the role full-time at the start of 2025. The film also aims to increase female representation, something Ocon also commented on:
“Yeah, that part is very Hollywood, let’s call it. But you know, great that there is a lot of diversity in the movie. They really push the aspects of that, showing that we are willing to push the boundaries, and there is space for everyone in all the different roles in Formula One, which is good.
“There’s a female mechanic doing pit stops, which is actually great, and she’s a big part of the winning – at one point – I’m spoiling, sorry guys. But I like spoilers anyway. Tom Holland always spoils the new Spider-Man.”
When asked how he felt hardcore racing fans would feel about the movie, the Haas driver added:
“I think proper racing fans will enjoy it. They are gonna comment about some of the things that maybe don’t make 100% sense. But honestly, for such a big movie with such an audience, it’s the closest to a reality racing movie that I’ve ever seen in comparison to all the other ones.
“It’s not like there is 20 gears. It’s not like it is 20% off throughout the whole race and goes to the [extra] 20 [like] we always see. All of these things make sense, and even the strat mode with the battery and the locking up in Silverstone at some point.
“These are things that we’ve had in reality, and that’s quite good.”
He concluded:
“Overall, it’s been super fun, great to have the privilege to watch it. And great to be part of it, seeing my car, my helmets, racing and seeing myself in the movies. It’s an honour and a privilege.”
