F1 Movie Gains Realism with Hamilton's Advice

Lewis Hamilton’s input boosted F1 movie realism but added unexpected expenses, says producer Jerry Bruckheimer at a press event.

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the upcoming ‘F1’ film, held a press conference with Greg Maffei, the current CEO of Formula 1, who will step down at the end of the year. He shared updates on the film’s development, featuring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.

Having worked years ago on Days of Thunder, the NASCAR film starring Tom Cruise, Bruckheimer is now producing ‘F1’ and praised Lewis Hamilton’s role as an advisor to the film team, bringing realism through his Formula 1 expertise.

“Lewis Hamilton has seen part of the film and gave us feedback on how drivers handle certain situations,” Bruckheimer explained, elaborating on Hamilton’s contributions.

“The level of precision he provided, like at Silverstone in Turn 3, where you’re in second gear, and he could hear Brad Pitt was in third gear, is incredible. That’s the kind of detail he brings to the film.”

“And he mentioned that after a race, especially in Singapore where it’s incredibly hot, he can barely get out of the car. They lose about 5 kilos. It’s not just him—it’s all of them. They’re completely drained, and we’re going to show what it takes to be an F1 driver.”

The acclaimed producer commended Hamilton’s input, even though it led to unplanned additional costs: “Everything he has contributed to this film—we can’t thank him and everyone in F1 enough for making this possible.”

“But for the authenticity he brings, we simply can’t imagine what it’s like to be a driver or what the sport offers its audience. Sometimes we don’t love hearing his feedback because fixing things costs more money, but we’re all invested. We want this to be extraordinary, and he’s helping us achieve that.”

Red Bull feared playing the “villains.”

The partnership between Mercedes and Hamilton with the film raised concerns among other teams, particularly Red Bull: “What’s interesting is that since we partnered with Mercedes, the other teams said, ‘Wait a second, this film is going to be about Mercedes, and we’re going to look bad.’”

“Red Bull said, ‘We’re going to be the villains.’ It took us three years to convince them they wouldn’t be the villains, and we’ve finally reached a point where all the teams are really supporting us and helping.”

Asked about the simplicity of the film’s title, which seems to align with a commercial agreement with Formula 1 given the logo will appear on the poster, Bruckheimer explained that it pays homage to iconic motorsport films: “Because the greatest racing films were Le Mans and Grand Prix, and now there will be F1.”

Bruckheimer and Maffei haven’t finalized plans for the film’s release celebrations, but the producer shared some ideas: “I think we’ll show it to the F1 drivers and teams in Monaco, then hold premieres in New York, London, and several other cities.”

“Brad has really committed to this film. He doesn’t enjoy doing press, but I think we’ll take him on a global tour where he’ll be proud to showcase his efforts as both a driver and actor in this movie.”