Apex F1 movie: plot, release date, cast and filming of Brad Pitt's grand prix film

F1

The release date and title of Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton's F1 movie has now been confirmed, with more filming recently spotted also. Here's everything we know about the movie so far, including details on the car, the cast and the plot

F1 movie

F1. Coming the theatres in Summer 2025

F1 will be the official title for Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton’s grand prix-inspired move, with a confirmed release data of June 25 2025 and a teaser trailer now available to watch.

Production for the picture, featuring the fictional APXGP team, is continuing into 2024, with the team spotted testing at Silverstone prior to the British Grand Prix — where continued on-track appearances and filming around the team’s temporary hospitality suite are expected. Alongside the reveal of the official movie poster (as seen above), a “sneak peek” trailer has been aired before the 2024 British GP.

The crew started the year by switching series, filming footage at the Daytona 24 Hours, where it is thought that Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes will be shown racing a Porsche 911 GTD car, having left the F1 fold. Filming also took place during the ‘Roar before the 24’ test weekend, as well as the subsequent race weekend.

The scenes are likely to form a short sequence in the final movie, which shows Hayes making a dramatic return to Formula 1 as a mentor to young protege Joshua Pierce, played by Damson Idris.

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Co-produced by Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt's new F1 film is adding star power to the Silverstone paddock as it shoots at this weekend's British Grand Prix, using black and gold cars assigned their own 'APXGP' pit garage. Here's what to expect from the movie, rumoured to be called Apex

By Motor Sport

Director Joseph Kosinski, who was most recently behind Top Gun: Maverick has has already captured plenty of footage at grands prix in 2023, starting with the British Grand Prix where the film crew was allocated a pit garage and set up replica equipment and signs.

Filming continued in Las Vegas and the 2023 F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, where on-track camera cars and shots of the pitwall were taken throughout the weekend, but the schedule was interrupted earlier in the year as a result of a lengthy strike by the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America. It halted production, and pushed ore of the filming into 2024 where new cars with altered liveries are likely to create headaches for continuity editors.

There were rumours that all of 2023’s footage would have to be scrapped but this was later denied by F1, which said that the footage “is relevant”.

“The movie will continue shooting at grands prix in 2024, with Brad and Damson driving actual cars on track for racing sequences,” it added.

Details of the collaboration between Apple Studios and Hamilton’s own production company, Dawn Apollo Films, will continue to emerge as we appraoch the scheduled release date in 2025; here is everything we know so far.

 

What is the plot?

As detailed by Brad Pitt in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, he will play aged, retired racer Sonny Hayes – a former F1 driver who moves away from the series and races elsewhere after suffering a huge crash during the 1990s. Years later, a struggling F1 team owner, played by Javier Bardem, recruits Hayes to join APXGP as its second driver and mentor young phenomenon Joshua Pierce, played by Damson Idris.

Silverstone is thought to play a key part in the story, given the access that the production crew had over the British Grand Prix weekend in 2023, but filming also took place in Hungary, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.

While on track at Silverstone, both APXGP cars performed several race-like manoeuvres, frequently racing wheel-to-wheel on the lead up to Copse Corner, in a way reminiscent to the clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the 2021 race.

The film will feature APXGP’s cars competing against the ten real teams on the grid, generating possible cameo opportunities for drivers, team principals and other team members.

One part of the film is set to show Pitt racing a Porsche 911 at Daytona, during the spell between his F1 drives.

 

The cast

Although much of the F1 cast is yet to be revealed, some key members have been confirmed — headlined by Brad Pitt and Damson Idris who will play a leading role.

“Brad looks like he’s ageing backwards,” Hamilton joked during a British GP press conference. “He looks great for his age. It was a big topic when we were discussing the first story but he’s super fit, he’s been training.

“At the end of the day, it’s a movie so there will be a Hollywood element to it that will make it believable. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have Brad Pitt in a Formula 1 movie. It’s incredible.”

Cast member  Role
Brad Pitt Apex Racing Brad Pitt Sonny Hayes

Damson Idris
Joshua Pierce

Javier Bardem
Unnamed F1 team-owner

Tobias Menzies
Unconfirmed

Kerry Condon
Unconfirmed
Lewis Hamilton poses pre-season
Lewis Hamilton
Producer (and may appear as himself in a cameo)

 

The team and the car

Two APXGP cars on track at the 2023 British Grand Prix

Pitt and Idris’ characters will be drivers for APXGP – a fictional eleventh team on the current F1 grid.

Contrary to some previous suggestions, Brad Pitt will not be driving a real F1 car, instead using a modified F2 car that has been adapted by Mercedes and complete with sponsor stickers from Tommy Hilfiger, MSC Cruises and AMG Mercedes.

Before filming began at last year’s British Grand Prix, the car was seen running on track in private sessions, which appear to have been to get the stars used to the cars: they will share driving duties with stunt drivers.

The Apex team were also given a full garage and pitwall in between Mercedes and Ferrari, allowing them to capture true-to-life pitlane shots.

Both APXGP cars also lined up for the parade lap ahead of the British Grand Prix before pulling off before the start of the race. They were most likely driven by a qualified stunt driver in order to minimise the risk of interfering with the start of the actual race.

Trailer and release date

The film is now scheduled for an international release date in cinemas on June 25 2025, with it hitting North American theatres on June 27 that year.

Though Warners Brothers will be distributing the film in cinemas – with it also shown in IMAX venues – Apple holds the rights to the movie, so it will almost certainly be hosted on its Apple TV platform at a later date.

A short trailer was aired before the British GP, featuring scenes at Silverstone and Monza as well as a brief cameo from former Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner.

 

Lewis Hamilton’s involvement

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has been involved in the film since its inception. His Dawn Apollo company is producing the movie and he has an advisory and consultancy role under the title of ‘producer’.

Speaking ahead of the 2023 season, Hamilton revealed he had been part of the team who selected Damson Idris to partner Pitt as the movie leads – a nod toward his mission of making F1 a more inclusive place.

Ahead of this weekend’s British GP, Hamilton has also spent time with director Joseph Kosinski, taking time to locate the best camera positions on the circuit while also overseeing frame rates to ensure the cars look as fast as possible.

It’s currently unclear as to whether the Mercedes driver will actually appear in the movie, but a small cameo alongside other current F1 drivers would not be surprising with filming taking place during real race weekends.

 

Directors, writers and producers

Apple Studios film car

Apple Studio’s camera car took to the track in Abu Dhabi

Grand Prix Photo

The film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski – renowned for his skill utilising CGI and most recently nominated for an academy award with Top Gun: Maverick. 

“Joe is an incredible director,” said Hamilton during a press conference ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. “You already saw what he’s done with fighter jets, what he did with Maverick — just think about what he’s done in terms of the dogfights you saw with the jets that was pretty epic. Bringing that technology and that viewpoint into our world is going to be amazing.”

Joining Kosinski is legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer – responsible for roles in Pirates of the Carribean, the original Top Gun and 1990 NASCAR film Days of Thunder – as well as a fleet of producers including Hamilton and Pitt themselves. 

 

Which F1 races will F1 be filming at?

Starting at Silverstone, the APXGP team was expected to appear at every F1 round for the rest of the 2023 F1 season.

But due to ongoing strikes involving the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, filming was delayed for most of the year. it resumed in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.

The crew returned to Silverstone for the 2024 British Grand Prix, after a shoot during the Daytona 24 Hours, where Pitt filmed scenes and drove a Porsche 911.

F1 says that producers will “ensure continuity” between footage shot in 2023 and 2024, which won’t be made easy by the rebranding of two teams (Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri), and revised liveries.

It’s not yet confirmed which other races will host filming — but with 12 more races and three sprints still to come, there will certainly be plenty to choose from.