Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton lead the F1 film premiere in New York as Max Verstappen skips event amid Spa GT3 plans.
Formula 1 gathered last night in New York for the premiere of the F1 film featuring Brad Pitt.
While many drivers — all except Max Verstappen — had already seen the film during a special screening ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Monday marked the film’s global premiere.
Taking advantage of the sport’s presence in Canada this weekend, most F1 drivers and team principals attended the event in New York, with one notable exception.
Max Verstappen was not present. He wants to return home to see his family and also has a GT3 commitment at Spa-Francorchamps.
“I’m going home to see my daughter. Will I watch the film later? Maybe I will.”
“If it suits me or if someone else wants to see it, I have no problem with that. And maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
“I sincerely hope it will be a good film, a success, and that it will have a positive impact on Formula 1.”
“But you shouldn’t force me to go somewhere, because that’s not really how it should be.”
At the ceremony, Carlos Sainz offered a word of caution to “true F1 fans” as the film is, above all, a “Hollywood movie.”
Sharing his thoughts on the red carpet, the Williams driver said: “There’s something for everyone, for sure.”
“I would just say to true F1 fans: be open to Hollywood movies.”
“For all the new fans, this really is our sport.”
At the premiere, the attending drivers were seen engaging extensively with the film’s actors — notably Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and Javier Bardem — as well as Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose company helped finance the project.
Lewis Hamilton was also a central figure at the event and appeared closely aligned with the film’s team, having played a vital role as authenticity advisor, producer, and consultant.
Composer Hans Zimmer, who created the film’s original score, was also present.
“Being European, I probably understood the subject of F1 better, as it was part of our culture.”
“Then, a few years later, I met Lewis and we started talking. And when this film came together, I really began speaking to Lewis, so interestingly, much of my inspiration and what I was doing came from Lewis.”
“I just want to pay tribute to him — it felt like he was always sitting next to me while I was writing the score.”