Brad Pitt’s F1 The Movie Gears Up for Release, Is this Inspired by Real-Life Scandals?

June 26, 2025: F1 The Movie is racing toward its highly anticipated release, with early reviews from critics and press calling it a thrilling, immersive take on the world of Formula One. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and starring Brad Pitt, the film aims to deliver not just adrenaline-fueled action but an authentic racing experience—thanks in part to guidance from co-producer and F1 legend Lewis Hamilton.

Both Brad Pitt and co-star Damson Idris drove real F1 cars at speeds reaching 180 mph during filming, with the goal of making the racing sequences look and feel as real as possible. Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former F1 star making a dramatic comeback, though trailers have intentionally kept the reason behind his mysterious exit from the sport under wraps.

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In a recent episode of the Beyond The Grid podcast, Pitt revealed that the film’s storyline draws heavily from real-world racing controversies—most notably the infamous Crashgate Scandal of 2008. Referring to Renault’s deliberate crash during the Singapore Grand Prix, Pitt said:

“We were a last-place team, and we needed to play with the rules. We needed to get right to the edge of the rules to be competitive in any way. And that’s where Sonny starts out and is rather disliked because of it.”

Crashgate saw Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally crash his car to benefit teammate Fernando Alonso, a move that later sparked an investigation and rocked the F1 world.

The film features a star-studded cast including Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and Lewis Hamilton himself. Pitt’s Sonny Hayes teams up with rookie driver Joshua Pearce (played by Idris) to rescue the struggling team of an old friend (Bardem).

With a gripping plot, realistic racing, and inspiration pulled straight from F1’s most controversial moments, F1 The Movie is set to be a high-octane crowd-pleaser when it hits theatres.