Max Verstappen has revealed that Formula 1 was “well aware” of his decision to miss the special screening of Brad Pitt’s new F1 movie on Wednesday.

And the Red Bull driver has insisted that he carries no ill feeling towards the film, vowing that he will “download it” when the highly anticipated movie is released next month.

Max Verstappen misses F1 movie screening ahead of Monaco Grand Prix

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

A private screening of the upcoming F1 film was held for drivers, team bosses and special guests on Wednesday evening ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, with 18 of the 20 active racers in attendance.

Verstappen, the reigning four-time World Champion, was a notable absentee at the event along with Lance Stroll, the Aston Martin driver.

The Red Bull star was seen recording a live stream of his sim-racing activities on Wednesday as his alter ego Franz Hermann, the pseudonym he adopted for a recent on-track outing at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, reappeared.

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With Verstappen a vocal critic of Netflix’s Drive to Survive and glitzy events like the Las Vegas Grand Prix over recent years, his absence sparked suggestions that the 27-year-old has taken a dim view of the move to create a movie based on Formula 1.

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com in Thursday’s press conference in Monaco, however, Verstappen confirmed that he communicated his decision to miss the screening to Formula One Management.

And he insisted that he will take time to watch the production when it is officially released in late June.

Verstappen said: “I notified FOM about that, so they were well aware that I wasn’t attending.

“I wanted to spend more private time – because it is private time at the end of the day, the evening also.

“I think it’s coming out on June 27 [US release date] so I’ll download it on Apple.

“Of course I get it. There was the opportunity to watch it, but if I watch it now or in three or four weeks, that’s fine as well.

“I heard good stuff from the movie, so I’m sure that it’s going to be exciting.”

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Alex Albon, Verstappen’s former Red Bull team-mate and the current Williams driver, could not resist a quip when asked for his view on the film.

“You should ask Max!” joked Albon.

He went on to add: “How was the movie? Good. Good. I think they’ve done a good balance, to be honest with you.

“I think it’s hard to not look at everything with a fine comb and just see it for what it is and just relax and watch it as a movie.

“I think for Hollywood and for what we do, I think they did a good job.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, the Sauber rookie, claimed that the movie will help attract new fans to F1 following the success of Drive to Survive.

He said: “I think it’s a very Hollywood one, but it’s nice.

“It’s going to be very good for those that still don’t know this sport so much and it’s going to be very good for our sport.

“For us drivers, we live this every day so we know every detail, so some stuff we realise [what’s happening].

“I don’t want to give spoilers or anything here, I’m not good on these things, but that’s what I’m sure is going to be good for the sport.

“And for those that don’t know so much about Formula 1, they can learn and they can get involved with us.”

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