How Lewis Hamilton and Apple brought F1 racing to the movie screen
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 8, 2024 Actor Brad Pitt is seen during filming for an F1-inspired movie alongside actor Javier Bardem REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 8, 2024 Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is seen before the race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton pose for a publicity photo at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, U.S., April 28, 2025. Apple/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
CUPERTINO, California - Racing legend Lewis Hamilton, a producer on an upcoming movie starring Brad Pitt as a fictional Formula 1 driver, wanted the film to show the reality of what it looks, feels and sounds like to speed around a track at 200 miles per hour.
To avoid having Apple's "F1 The Movie" seem "faked" by Hollywood, Hamilton provided input on details such as when drivers should brake or shift gears. The film will be released in theaters by Warner Bros on June 27.
"I really wanted to make sure the authenticity was there, and it worked for both the younger and the older audience, and then making sure that the racing was true to what it is," Hamilton said in an interview with Reuters Television.
"All the other drivers, all the teams, are relying on me to make sure that it does," the seven-time world champion added.
In the movie, Pitt plays a driver who comes out of retirement to mentor a young hotshot portrayed by Damson Idris. Co-stars include Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon.
Portions of the film were shot during real-life F1 events in Abu Dhabi, Mexico City and other Grand Prix stops. The filmmakers would shoot on the tracks during short breaks in the races. Pitt and Idris drove themselves in professional race cars at high speeds.
Before filming started, Hamilton said he met with Pitt at a racetrack in Los Angeles so he could size up the actor's driving skills.
"I really wanted to see, can you actually drive?" Hamilton said. A longtime motorcycle rider and racing fan, Pitt showed a baseline ability at that point that made Hamilton comfortable.
"He already had the knack," Hamilton said, which the actor further developed through weeks of intense training. "He really went in deep," Hamilton said.
"F1" was directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the team that put together the thrilling fighter-jet scenes in 2022 blockbuster film "Top Gun: Maverick."
For "F1," they needed new cameras that would work in race cars, which can be slowed down by extra weight.
Producing partner Apple, which began releasing movies in 2019, was able to help.
The company used some of its iPhone technology to adapt a camera system typically used in real F1 cars during TV broadcasts. The hardware looked like a traditional F1 camera but delivered the high-resolution video that the filmmakers wanted for the big screen.
"This movie was just a great example of putting the whole of the company behind a movie," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said. "We designed the camera that went into the car to capture the incredible driving experience. It makes you feel like you're actually sitting in the car and experiencing what Brad is experiencing."
Cook said he felt the movie showcased the athleticism required to rise to the elite ranks of F1 driving. Hamilton said he had encouraged more examples of the sport's physical challenges. Drivers can lose five or 10 pounds, he said, from the exertion during a race.
"You have to be able to show that part of it. You're training. You're conditioning your body," Hamilton said. "The car, it beats you up." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US Supreme Court rejects bid to revive copyright suit over Ed Sheeran hit 'Thinking Out Loud'
Ed Sheeran poses at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion' in New York City, New York, U.S., May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Singer Ed Sheeran performs on NBC's \"Today\" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, U.S., June 6, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Ed Sheeran poses on the red carpet as he attends the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 4, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a bid to revive a copyright infringement lawsuit accusing pop star Ed Sheeran of unlawfully copying from the late singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get It On" in his 2014 hit song "Thinking Out Loud." The justices declined to hear an appeal by Structured Asset Sales, a company owned by investment banker David Pullman that has a copyright interest in Gaye's song, of a judge's decision to dismiss the case. The company had sued Sheeran, his record label Warner Music and music publisher Sony Music Publishing, seeking monetary damages over alleged similarities between the two songs. Gaye, who died in 1984, collaborated with singer-songwriter Ed Townsend, who died in 2003, to write "Let's Get It On," which topped the Billboard charts. Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015. Structured Asset Sales owns a share of the rights to "Let's Get It On" that previously belonged to Townsend. Its lawsuit accused Sheeran of misusing copyrighted elements of "Let's Get It On" including its melody, harmony and rhythm. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton decided in 2023 that the musical elements that Sheeran was accused of copying were too common to merit copyright protection. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheldthe decision last year. The 2nd Circuit also rejected the Structured Asset Sales argument that Stanton should have considered elements of "Let's Get It On" that were not found in the "deposit copy" of the song's sheet music submitted to the U.S. Copyright Office. In a 2023 trial in a separate copyright lawsuit over the same issue filed by Townsend's heirs, a jury in Manhattan federal court ruled in favor of Sheeran. "It's devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we've put so much work into our livelihoods," Sheeran said outside the courthouse following that verdict. Structured Asset Sales has filed another lawsuit against Sheeran based on its rights to the audio recording of "Let's Get It On." That case is currently on hold. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Tough talks ahead but McLaren want drivers to race each other
Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - June 15, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris walks to the pit lane after crashing out of the race Pool via REUTERS/Shawn Thew Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - June 15, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris walks to the pit lane after crashing out of the race Pool via REUTERS/Shawn Thew Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - June 15, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris walks to the pit lane after crashing out of the race Pool via REUTERS/Shawn Thew TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; McLaren driver Lando Norris (4) walks away from his car during the F1 Montreal Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images REUTERS Tough talks ahead but McLaren want drivers to race each other MONTREAL - McLaren will continue to let Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris race freely for the Formula One title but there will be some tough talks back at the factory after Sunday's collision in Canada. Norris accepted the blame after hitting the rear of his championship-leading Australian teammate's car while trying to overtake in a battle for fourth place three laps from the finish. The incident between the title frontrunners, with Piastri extending his lead to 22 points while Norris failed to score, was the talk of the paddock at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and had been long predicted. McLaren principal Andrea Stella said the team would discuss once the dust had settled how to prevent it from happening again. "Definitely there will be good conversations, but they will happen once we are all rested and calm," the Italian told reporters. He said the team would seek to "preserve our parity and equality in terms of how we go racing at McLaren between our two drivers. "The being free to race and the being clear as to how we go racing is a value of racing," he added. "It is a value of racing that we want to try and exercise and respect as much as we can, rather than every time we have a proximity between the two cars then having control from the pit wall. "We want to give Lando and Oscar opportunities to race and opportunities to be at the end of the season in the position that they deserve to be in." Stella said the points should reflect the drivers' performance rather than any team orders. "This is not necessarily a simple and straight exercise but we want to try and do it as best as we can," he said. "So I don't foresee that today's episode will change our approach from this point of view. "If anything it will reinforce and it will strengthen that the principles we have require more caution by our drivers." Stella said the incident was a simple misjudgement of distance rather than an aggressive statement of intent and he appreciated Norris' ownership of responsibility. He recognised the Briton's confidence could be dented, with the driver always open in his emotions and prone to blaming himself in a title battle increasingly going Piastri's way, but Norris could count on every support. "On this one I want to be completely clear," said Stella. "It's full support to Lando. We will have conversations and the conversations may be even tough. But there's no doubt over the support we give to Lando. "Lando himself will have to show his character to overcome this kind of episode. Make sure that he only takes the learnings, he only takes what will make him a stronger driver." Piastri has won five of the 10 races so far to Norris' two with 14 remaining. The next race is in Austria on June 29. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Tough talks ahead but McLaren want drivers to race each other
MONTREAL :McLaren will continue to let Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris race freely for the Formula One title but there will be some tough talks back at the factory after Sunday's collision in Canada. Norris accepted the blame after hitting the rear of his championship-leading Australian teammate's car while trying to overtake in a battle for fourth place three laps from the finish. The incident between the title frontrunners, with Piastri extending his lead to 22 points while Norris failed to score, was the talk of the paddock at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and had been long predicted. McLaren principal Andrea Stella said the team would discuss once the dust had settled how to prevent it from happening again. "Definitely there will be good conversations, but they will happen once we are all rested and calm," the Italian told reporters. He said the team would seek to "preserve our parity and equality in terms of how we go racing at McLaren between our two drivers. "The being free to race and the being clear as to how we go racing is a value of racing," he added. "It is a value of racing that we want to try and exercise and respect as much as we can, rather than every time we have a proximity between the two cars then having control from the pit wall. "We want to give Lando and Oscar opportunities to race and opportunities to be at the end of the season in the position that they deserve to be in." Stella said the points should reflect the drivers' performance rather than any team orders. "This is not necessarily a simple and straight exercise but we want to try and do it as best as we can," he said. "So I don't foresee that today's episode will change our approach from this point of view. "If anything it will reinforce and it will strengthen that the principles we have require more caution by our drivers." Stella said the incident was a simple misjudgement of distance rather than an aggressive statement of intent and he appreciated Norris' ownership of responsibility. He recognised the Briton's confidence could be dented, with the driver always open in his emotions and prone to blaming himself in a title battle increasingly going Piastri's way, but Norris could count on every support. "On this one I want to be completely clear," said Stella. "It's full support to Lando. We will have conversations and the conversations may be even tough. But there's no doubt over the support we give to Lando. "Lando himself will have to show his character to overcome this kind of episode. Make sure that he only takes the learnings, he only takes what will make him a stronger driver." Piastri has won five of the 10 races so far to Norris' two with 14 remaining. The next race is in Austria on June 29.
