Brad Pitt’s long-gestating Formula 1 feature completed principal photography during last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with director Joseph Kosinski mounting IMAX cameras on a modified single-seater to capture race-weekend speed and noise at Yas Marina Circuit. The production, backed by Apple Original Films and overseen on track by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, operated as a fictional eleventh team, APX GP, slotting into real pit-lane windows between sessions.
Warner Bros. Pictures will launch the film, simply titled F1, in international cinemas and IMAX on 25 June before rolling out across North America on 27 June, with Apple retaining later streaming rights on Apple TV+. Pitt plays veteran driver Sonny Hayes opposite Damson Idris’s rookie Joshua Pearce, while Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon headline the garage ensemble.
Scenes were gathered over 18 months at 14 Grands Prix—from Silverstone to Las Vegas—culminating in a 29-day Abu Dhabi schedule that employed 284 local crew and 15 interns under the emirate’s 30 percent rebate scheme. Kosinski said shooting amid an active paddock delivered “a travelling circus energy cameras can’t fake,” while Hamilton fine-tuned details such as gear-shift patterns to satisfy hardcore fans.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer disputes industry chatter that the budget ballooned past $300 million, insisting sponsorships and tax incentives have kept net costs nearer $200 million. Pitt’s commitment was such that he “didn’t want to stop filming” after two years behind the wheel, according to insiders.
Early box-office tracking shows the picture leading Apple’s theatrical push: as of 1 July it has grossed $153 million worldwide, prompting discussions about a sequel even before the North American opening lap. The studio will stage a red-carpet gala in Abu Dhabi later this month, returning to the circuit that provided its climactic footage.
