F1 (Movie) Sleep Facts

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster,

And today's episode is about F1,

The film.

F1,

Marketed as F1 the movie,

Is a 2025 American sports drama film starring Brad Pitt as a racing driver who returns to Formula One F1 after a 30-year absence to save his former teammate's underdog team,

APXGP,

From collapse.

Damson Idris,

Cary Condon,

Tobias Menzies,

And Javier Bardem also star.

The film was directed by Joseph Kaczynski from a screenplay by Aaron Kruger and a story written by the two.

Development of the film began in December 2021,

With Pitt,

Kaczynski,

Kruger,

And producer Jerry Bruckheimer attached to the project.

The latter three had previously worked together on Top Gun Maverick 2022.

Supporting cast members were revealed in early 2023,

Prior to the start of principal photography at Silverstone that July.

Filming also took place during Grand Prix weekends of the 2023 and 2024 World Championships with the collaboration of the FIA,

The governing body of F1.

Racing sequences were adapted from the real-life races,

With F1 teams and drivers appearing throughout,

Including Lewis Hamilton,

Who was also a producer.

Hans Zimmer composed the film's score,

While numerous artists contributed to its soundtrack.

F1 premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 16,

2025.

And was released in the United States by Warner Bros.

Pictures on June 27.

The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $393.

4 million worldwide,

Against a $200 to $300 million budget,

Becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2025.

Let's talk about the plot.

An aging American racing driver and former Formula One F1 prodigy,

Sonny Hayes,

Lives nomadically as a racer for hire.

Although he raced for Lotus in the 1990s,

Severe injuries from a crash at the Spanish Grand Prix in 1993 ended his F1 career.

He subsequently became a professional racer for Lotus.

He became a gambling addict and lost three marriages.

After winning the 24 Hours of Daytona,

His former Lotus teammate Ruben Cervantes,

Who owns the APXGP F1 team,

Offers him a test drive to fill their spare seat.

Ruben discloses that his investors will sell the team unless APXGP,

Last in the World Constructors' Championship,

Wins one of the nine remaining Grands Prix that year.

Sonny reluctantly agrees after Ruben tells him victory will make him the best in the world.

At the Silverstone test,

Sonny meets team principal Kacper Smolenski,

Technical director Cade McKenna,

And ambitious British rookie Joshua Pearce,

Who reveals seven drivers turned down the opportunity.

Joshua remains arrogant,

Yet worries the potential sale will result in his replacement,

Believing he must trounce his teammates to impress the investors.

During his test,

Sonny struggles with modern F1 machinery,

But immediately identifies APXGP's weaknesses.

He pushes the limit and crashes,

But Kacper recognizes his skill and signs him.

Sonny returns at the British Grand Prix,

Where slow pit stops demote the APXGP drivers to last after a promising start.

Sonny ignores team orders to let Joshua by,

And they collide.

In Hungary,

Sonny mends his relationship with Joshua by exploiting F1 rules.

By colliding with other drivers to force safety cars,

He helps Joshua catch the midfield and score APXGP's maiden points finish.

Joshua adopts Sonny's old-school training methods,

While Sonny emulates his simulator work,

And persuades Cade to redesign the car for combat.

During the rain-affected Italian Grand Prix,

Sonny encourages Joshua to remain on slick tires,

Which risks aquaplaning,

But vaults Joshua to second.

Joshua ignores Sonny's advice to wait for a straight before attempting to overtake Max Verstappen.

He hits a curb at Curva Parabolica,

And his car is engulfed in flames after flying over the barrier.

Joshua is rescued from the fire by Sonny and misses the next three races due to injury,

While Sonny claims consistent points.

Blaming Sonny for his crash,

Joshua resolves to defeat him when he returns.

In his comeback race,

The Belgian Grand Prix,

Joshua's aggressive driving causes a collision with Sonny,

Forcing him out of the race and infuriating him.

Cade arranges a poker game where the winner gets favorable treatment at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Joshua wins,

But after he leaves,

Sonny reveals he intentionally folded with a winning hand.

Ruben lets them know an anonymous tip claimed Cade manufactured upgrades illegally.

Cade denies wrongdoing,

But the FIA demand the upgrades removal.

During the race,

Sonny gets road rage and crashes.

As Sonny recovers,

Ruben learns his 1993 injuries permanently impaired him,

And fires him for his safety.

Board member Peter Banning reveals to Sonny that he orchestrated his signing and the complaint so he could fire Ruben and sell APXGP,

Offering to promote him to team principal if the sale goes through.

Before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,

Joshua commits to being more responsible and disciplined,

Admitting his crash was not Sonny's fault.

Sonny persuades Ruben into letting him race and declines Peter's offer.

The FIA exonerates Cade,

Allowing APXGP to restore her upgrades.

During the race,

Joshua takes the lead by remaining on worn tires,

But is overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

An opportune red flag is shown after a struggling Sonny,

In fourth,

Collides with George Russell,

Allowing both APXGP drivers to restart on fresher tires.

After passing Charles,

Sonny sacrifices his chance at victory by forcing Lewis to block his overtake instead of Joshua's.

However,

Lewis and Joshua collide on the final lap,

Clearing the way for Sonny's maiden victory and blocking the sale.

The APXGP team celebrates their victory,

With Ruben joining Sonny on the podium,

Exclaiming,

We are the best in the world.

Toto Wolf offers Joshua a seat at Mercedes,

But Joshua declines.

Sonny and Cade confirm their relationship.

Joshua congratulates Sonny,

Who returns to his nomadic lifestyle,

Competing in the Baja 1000.

Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes,

A nomadic racer for hire and former 1990s Formula One driver for Lotus,

Who returns to F1 with APXGP.

Damson Idris as Joshua Pierce,

A hotshot rookie who drives for APXGP,

Becoming Sonny's teammate and main rival.

Kerry Condon as Cade McKenna,

The APXGP technical director and Sonny's love interest.

Javier Bardem as Ruben Cervantes,

The APXGP team owner and Sonny's friend and former Lotus teammate.

Tobias Menzies as Peter Banning,

An APXGP board member.

Kim Bodnia as Kasper Smolenski,

The APXGP team principal.

Sarah Niles as Bernadette Pierce,

Joshua's mother.

Will Merrick as Hugh Nickleby,

Sonny's APXGP race engineer.

Joseph Balderrama as Rico Fazio,

Joshua's APXGP race engineer.

Abdul Salas as Dodge Douda,

The APXGP chief mechanic.

Callie Cook as Jody,

An APXGP pit stop tire gunner.

Samson Cayo as Cashman,

Joshua's cousin and manager.

Simon Coons as Don Cavendish,

A broadcaster during the F1 races that Sonny participated.

Liz Kingsman as Lisbeth Bampton,

The APXGP PR agent.

Luciano Bacchetta as Luca Cortez,

The APXGP reserve driver.

Shea Whigham as Chip Hart,

Owner of Chip Hart Racing,

For whom Sonny drives the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Kyle Rankin as Cale Kelso,

One of Sonny's teammates for Chip Hart,

Racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Simone Ashley was cast in an undisclosed role,

But her appearance was cut to only a cameo credited as herself.

Additionally,

Craig Dolby and Duncan Tabby acted as stunt drivers alongside Bacchetta.

The film is based on the 2023 Formula One season,

And was filmed during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

As a result,

Many Formula One drivers and personnel appear in the film as themselves,

With the teams and achievements they had at the time.

The drivers are as follows.

Alexander Alban of Thailand,

Driver for Williams.

Fernando Alonso,

Two-time world drivers champion of Spain,

Driver for Aston Martin.

Oliver Biermann of the United Kingdom,

Driver for Ferrari and Haas.

Valtteri Bottas of Finland,

Driver for Alfa Romeo.

Franco Colapinto of Argentina,

Driver for Williams.

Nick De Vries of the Netherlands,

Driver for Alfa Tauri.

Jack Doohan of Australia,

Driver for Alpine.

Pierre Gasly of France,

Driver for Alpine.

Joe Guan Yu of China,

Driver for Alfa Romeo.

Lewis Hamilton,

Seven-time world drivers champion of the United Kingdom,

Driver for Mercedes.

Nico Huckenberg of Germany,

Driver for Haas.

Liam Lawson of New Zealand,

Driver for Alfa Tauri.

Charles Leclerc of Monaco,

Driver for Ferrari.

Kevin Magnussen of Denmark,

Driver for Haas.

Lando Norris of the United Kingdom,

Driver for McLaren.

Esteban Ocan of France,

Driver for Alpine.

Sergio Perez of Mexico,

Driver for Red Bull Racing.

Oskar Piastri of Australia,

Driver for McLaren.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia,

Driver for Alfa Tauri.

George Russell of the United Kingdom,

Driver for Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Of Spain,

Driver for Ferrari.

Logan Sargent of the United States,

Driver for Williams.

Lance Stroll of Canada,

Driver for Aston Martin.

Yuki Tsunoda of Japan,

Driver for Alfa Tauri.

Max Verstappen,

Two-time world drivers champion at the time of filming,

Of the Netherlands,

Driver for Red Bull Racing.

Formula One personnel that appear in the film include Stefano Domenicali,

CEO of the Formula One Group.

Zach Brown,

CEO of McLaren.

Christian Horner,

Team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing.

Gunther Steiner,

Team principal of Haas.

Lawrence Stroll,

Owner and chairman of Aston Martin and father of Alfa Tauri.

Lance Stroll,

Frederick Vassar,

Team principal of Ferrari.

James Vowles,

Team principal of Williams.

Toto Wolff,

Team principal,

CEO and co-owner of Mercedes.

Sky Sports F1 commentators Martin Brundle and David Croft provide commentary for races depicted in the film.

Lee Diffie provides commentary for the 24 Hours of Daytona scene.

Cameo appearance include Porsche factory driver Patrick Long as Sonny's other teammate at the 24 Hours of Daytona race.

Motorsport presenter Will Buxton and Dutch DJ Tiesto.

Joseph Kaczynski directed the film,

Reuniting with Top Gun Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Aaron Krueger.

Seven-time World Drivers Champion Lewis Hamilton was a producer.

On December 3rd,

2021,

A bidding war commenced for an untitled film starring Brad Pitt with producer Jerry Bruckheimer,

Director Joseph Kaczynski and screenwriter Aaron Krueger,

Who previously worked on Top Gun Maverick 2022,

On board in their respective roles.

Sources said F1 driver Lewis Hamilton was also involved in the film.

Studios involved in the bidding were Paramount Pictures,

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,

Sony Pictures,

Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures,

And streaming platforms Netflix,

Apple and Amazon.

Pitt was paid $30 million for his involvement.

In November 2022,

Claudio Miranda announced he would be the film's cinematographer.

In April 2023,

Damson Idris was hired after a lengthy casting process,

Which included a short list of actors driving the car in January 2023.

Cary Condon and Tobias Menzies would join the cast in the following months.

Sarah Niles and Simone Ashley also joined the cast.

However,

In June 2025,

Kaczynski revealed that Ashley's role had been cut from the film.

On July 5,

2024,

The title F1 was announced.

A teaser trailer premiered before the 2024 British Grand Prix.

Krueger received sole credit for the film's screenplay,

Along with story credit with Kaczynski.

Jez Butterworth,

Kara Smith,

Aaron Sorkin,

And Christopher Storer earned off-screen additional literary material credit.

In May 2024,

Puck's Matthew Bologna reported the film's budget to be $300 million.

Bruckheimer and Kaczynski disputed the claim.

The former cited rebates and sponsorships as lowering the budget.

And the latter said,

I've never had an experience where they were off by this much on a film.

I'm not sure where that number came from.

In 2025,

Ahead of the film's theatrical release,

Some industry sources reported the film's budget to be $200 million,

Though others still claimed the $300 million figure.

Prior to filming,

Pitt and Idris tested Formula 3 and Formula 2 cars at Paul Ricard in France.

The Dallara F2 2018 was stretched,

Widened,

And modified with a Formula 1 aerodynamic package,

Created by Mercedes Applied Science and run by Carlin Motorsport.

Six visually identical chassis were created in total,

Some powered by the Mechachrome V634,

Some by GP3 V6 engines,

And one by an electric motor,

Which was used to prevent overheating for shots in the pit lane.

Another six remote-controlled chassis were used to film crashes.

In July 2023,

Principal photography began at the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom.

Including filming during the British Grand Prix weekend between July 7th and the 9th,

Outside of the official F1 sessions.

The APXGP team had its own garage and motorhome during the weekend,

And their car was kept on display alongside other F1 cars during the mandatory show-and-tell session before the track action.

Pitt was present with the actual drivers at the driver's briefing,

And he and Idris stood alongside the drivers during the national anthem before the race.

Their two cars were placed at the back of the grid with stunt drivers driving a part of the formation lab.

Apple designed a custom onboard camera for the car based on iPhone and powered by its A-series system on a chip.

The camera technology used for the fast-paced shots had evolved since Top Gun Maverick.

With help from Sony,

The cameras were shrunk to about a quarter of the size of those from Maverick,

Such that up to four cameras could be set up on the cars at a time,

With minimal effect to weight.

The camera bodies and RF transmitters were stashed in the floor of the cars.

Panavision also designed a special remote control that allowed the cameras on the cars to create panning movements.

At the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona,

The number 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R competed with a livery of the fictional Chip Hart racing team from the film,

With multiple replicas of it and the number 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 used for filming.

A camera-mounted Lola B2K10 was used as a filming car for high-speed shots.

The filming cars struggled to keep up with the modified F2 cars,

And by the time filming had shifted to Hungary,

The car lost oil pressure and had a pump failure,

Which led to it being scrapped and replaced by one of the GP3-engined APX-GP cars.

The APX-GP headquarters scenes were filmed at the McLaren Technology Center,

While Williams provided its wind tunnel for some shots,

And the racing simulator scenes were filmed at the Mercedes headquarters in Brackley.

Speaking with former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle at the 2023 British Grand Prix,

Pitt confirmed Javier Bardem would star.

Later that month,

ESPN reported that the film was titled Apex,

But it later retracted this statement.

The week after filming had started at the British Grand Prix,

The sag after a strike began,

Resulting in the lead actors not being available,

And a reduced crew consisting of only equity actors,

Sent to races from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.

Filming was then forced to continue through the 2024 season to make up for the lost races.

During the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix,

Hans Zimmer announced he would be composing the score for the film,

Marking his second collaboration with Kaczynski after Top Gun Maverick.

It is also Zimmer's second Formula One-related score,

Following the Ron Howard-directed film Rush 2013.

Zimmer co-composed the score with Steve Mazzaro,

Creating what Kaczynski described as a musical identity that reflects Formula One's dual nature,

A sport that straddles both the past and the present with its rich history and cutting-edge technology.

Zimmer crafted a hybrid score combining orchestra and electronic music.

He envisioned the orchestra as the human that sits inside the machine,

While the electronics represented the machine itself.

Discussions with producer and F1 champion Lewis Hamilton helped shape Zimmer's understanding of that relationship,

Influencing how the music was written.

Electronic music,

Zimmer noted,

Was also key to capturing the unpredictability of racing.

With synthesizers,

It's the same as in the race.

You don't quite know who's going to do what next.

There's always the element of surprise built in,

And I think that's very important in a film like this.

You score for surprise.

The score features guitarist Tim Henson,

And members of Zimmer's touring band.

This marks Zimmer's 13th collaboration with Bruckheimer,

Beginning with Days of Thunder 1990.

Central to the score is a recurring motif for Pitt's character,

Sonny Hayes,

Which Zimmer described as a gunslinger motif.

Zimmer and Mazzaro paid attention to the way the score interacts with the film's sound design and visuals.

The film's soundtrack,

F1 The Album,

Was released day and date with the film's North American debut.

Don Toliver and Doja Cat released the lead single,

Lose My Mind,

On April 30th,

2025,

Followed by Rosé's Messy on May 8th,

Mike Towers' Baja California on May 23rd,

Tate McRae's Just Keep Watching on May 30th,

And Ed Sheeran's Drive on June 20th.

Ryan Tudhobe was the VFX supervisor,

And Framestore provided post-production services on the film,

Citing involvement from their studios in Montreal,

London,

And Mumbai.

Tudhobe returned to collaborate with director Joseph Kaczynski,

Leveraging techniques they used on Top Gun Maverick to reskin jets to replace F1 cars captured during Real Grands Prix with the fictional black and gold APXGP cars.

The film was marketed as F1 The Movie.

Two trailers for the film were released,

The first on July 7th,

2024,

Ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix.

A television spot on February 9th,

2025,

During Super Bowl 59,

And a second trailer on March 13th,

2025,

Shortly prior to the commencement of the Australian Grand Prix.

On June 11th,

2025,

Apple released a haptic trailer for the film,

When played on a supported iPhone,

The haptic engine pulses and vibrates along with the action on screen.

Sponsorships from various brands featured in the film brought in at least $40 million according to Forbes estimates.

Many of the brands were featured on the APXGP cars,

And closing as team sponsors,

Such as Expensify,

GEICO,

Shark Ninja,

MSC Cruises,

And EA Sports.

Other sponsors that featured on the cars,

Such as IWC Schaffhausen,

Released watches themed on APXGP's black and gold colors.

Tommy Hilfiger launched a line of clothing,

And Mercedes-AMG revealed a limited APXGP edition Mercedes-AMG GT63.

The F125 game by EA Sports featured the APXGP livery,

As it appears in the film alongside scenarios that players can undertake.

Peak and GEICO were sponsors of the fictional Chip Hart Racing Team from the 24 Hours of Daytona scenes.

Apple's 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference,

WWDC Keynote,

Began with Craig Federighi driving the APXGP car on the roof of Apple Park.

At the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans,

The No.

90 Monte Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R ran a livery similar to the one used for filming at the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona.

At the 2025 Salon 6 Hours of the Glen the following weekend,

The same No.

120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R used for filming in 2024,

Ran the race with the livery from the film.

The drivers,

Crew,

And IMSA personnel were also given a private screening.

On June 20,

2025,

Hot Wheels announced the release of a 1-64 scale die-cast model of the No.

7 APXGP car driven by Brad Pitt's character in the film.

In certain Latin American countries,

McDonald's launched a special combo in partnership with F1,

Where customers have the option to pay extra to get a 1-43 scale APXGP,

Or McDonald's liveried model car.

Some McDonald's outlets in Sao Paulo also had full-size F1 cars on display.

In June 2022,

Apple acquired distribution rights in a package deal worth $130-140 million before above-the-line compensation.

In June 2024,

Warner Bros.

Pictures acquired the theatrical,

Home entertainment,

And digital purchase distribution rights from Apple.

Apple retains SVOD rights,

And the film will become available on Apple TV.

The film had an early IMAX screening on June 23,

2025.

The film was released in the IMAX format internationally on June 25,

2025,

And was released domestically on June 27,

2025.

A private screening was held in Monaco during the Cannes Film Festival for the drivers of the 2025 F1 season.

The film had its world premiere on June 16,

2025,

At the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,

With a cast and 2025 F1 drivers in attendance.

The European premiere was held on June 23 at Empire Leicester Square in London.

A Qatar Airways flight from Montreal to New York was chartered for the F1 drivers and team principals to attend the premiere following the Canadian Grand Prix.