
F1 movie could not have been made without Hamilton, says director
The Apple Original film "F1", with action scenes filmed at race weekends with the Liberty Media-owned sport's cooperation, is due in cinemas and IMAX internationally on June 25 and in North America on June 27.
Kosinski told reporters after an advance showing at the Canadian Grand Prix that the involvement of Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this season after winning six of his seven titles at Mercedes, had been key.
The 40-year-old Briton is credited as a co-producer while his Dawn Apollo production company was also involved.
Kosinski, who directed the Hit 'Top Gun: Maverick', explained how Hamilton was the first person he reached out to with the idea of a movie.
"I sent him an email and just said 'I want to tell the story in your world. I want to make it as authentic as possible. Will you help me?'," he said.
"And luckily Lewis said yes... He had actually talked to me earlier about playing a role in 'Top Gun Maverick'. So that's how I knew Lewis."
Hamilton, who had to turn down a part in that Tom Cruise film because of his racing commitments, acted as go-between with Formula One and as a consultant advising on technical accuracy and authenticity.
He was also a driver advisor to Pitt and co-star Damson Idris.
"At Hungary for instance, he said, 'If Brad's going to let someone pass during a blue flag and he wants it to be as tight as possible, he's going to only do that at turn six'," recalled Kosinski.
"That kind of detail... from a seven-time world champion who lives and breathes this world every day, I couldn't have gotten that from anywhere else."
Hamilton also contributed to the story and served as an inspiration for one scene where Pitt's character talks about why he races in spiritual terms.
"So his involvement has been amazing. We couldn't make the film without him."
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer referred to Hamilton's insistence on authenticity also in the sound of the film, citing an example at Silverstone where the Briton had pointed out a corner was taken in second gear but the audio was of fourth gear.
"It's that kind of detail that went into this," he said.
Hamilton has said Pitt's speed is real and the movie will be the most authentic racing film yet.
Formula One is hoping the movie cements the appeal of the Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive' that has boosted Formula One's popularity and growth worldwide and particularly in the key U.S. market.
"I think there's this perception that 'Drive to Survive' turned America onto F1 but I think there's just so many more people out there that don't know anything about it," said Kosinski.
"So there's a lot of potential still there."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton criticises delayed start to Belgian GP – but team bosses side with FIA
Lewis Hamilton believes the Belgian Grand Prix should have resumed earlier after a cautious approach from the FIA amid wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. After an 80-minute delay due to a heavy downpour, the race restarted with four laps behind the safety car, despite the track drying rapidly in most areas. The 44-lap grand prix begun with a rolling start, rather than the usual standing start and seven-time world champion Hamilton believed race control compensated for the last race at Silverstone, where a crash occurred due to lack of visibility in the rain. 'We started the race a little bit too late, I would say,' said Hamilton, who started in the pit-lane and finished seventh to conclude a wretched weekend. 'I kept shouting 'it's ready to go, it's ready to go'. They kept going round and round. So, I think they're probably overreacting from the last race, where we asked them not to restart the race too early, because the visibility was bad. 'I think this weekend they just went a bit too much the other way, because we didn't need a rolling start.' 'My car was set up for that [rain], they waited for it to dry pretty much. They definitely could have done a standing start, especially at the end there, because it was almost a dry line. There was hardly any spray.' Max Verstappen agreed with Hamilton, calling the delay 'silly' over team radio. However, Hamilton's boss at Ferrari, team principal Fred Vasseur, thought race director Rui Marques was correct to err on the side of caution, particularly given past crashes in the rain at Spa. 'The spray is coming from the floor, there is nothing we can do,' he said. 'The limitation is not the grip, the limitation is visibility. The helmet camera shows it, you can understand in this situation that they see absolutely nothing. 'Remember what happened in Silverstone with the crash, this is the most dangerous. We can't blame them, we would be the first one to give them s*** if something happened. 'I was comfortable in respecting their decision because they have a huge responsibility.' McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, whose drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris led home another one-two finish for the runaway leaders, also concurred with the FIA's decision-making. 'I think today the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA,' he said. 'We knew there was a lot of rain coming. Delaying the race allowed us to race in wet conditions and we went into dry. We didn't even know how long the dry race would've been. 'I think from our position we always praise the work of the FIA when this is deserved and this is one of the cases.'


Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen moan at F1 bosses for 'silly' Belgian GP delay... accusing them of being 'way too cautious' in the rain
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen argued that the Belgian Grand Prix should not have been delayed for 80 minutes despite the track throwing up plumes of spray from persistent rain. The two star men of the grid, with 11 world titles between them, felt FIA race director Rui Marques was overly cautious in calling the cars in at the prescribed 3pm start time after just the formation lap behind the safety car. An hour's further hiatus ensued as rain intensified. When it stopped, and the wet started to evaporate from the track, the race started behind a safety car that stayed out for four laps – longer than many observers thought necessary. Of the initial red flag, Verstappen said to his Red Bull team over the radio: 'That's a bit silly. We should just run. Like chillax. Jesus. 'They're way too cautious. And now the rain is coming, the heavy rain.' Told of Verstappen's view afterwards, Hamilton, who finished an impressive seventh from 18th on the grid, said: 'I would agree. My car was set up for that. They waited for it to dry. Especially at the end (when the safety car was out). There was a dry line with hardly any spray.' Spray remained an issue early on but quickly cleared as the track dried — prompting criticism from some drivers that the delay was excessive Indeed, intermediate tyres were only required for seven laps. After a wet race in Silverstone three weeks ago, the drivers spoke to the FIA, a reason for the excess of carefulness, Hamilton believes. He explained: 'Lots of drivers in the last race said we shouldn't have restarted, because of a lack of visibility. And as soon as someone up ahead said today "visibility is pretty bad", which… it wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as the last race, I think they just waited. 'They still did a good job. Of course, we did miss some of the extreme wet weather racing, which would have been nice. But for some reason the spray here is like a fog.' Race winner Oscar Piastri disagreed with his esteemed colleagues, saying: 'We have given the FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side. If you were picky you might say we could have done one lap fewer behind the safety car, but is the risk worth it? 'The first time we tried to start the race, with only Lando ahead, I couldn't see a thing so you can imagine what it is like for the guys at the back.' Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, referring to recent deaths at Spa, including his friend Anthoine Hubert in a Formula Two race in 2019, said: 'On a track like this you cannot forget about its history so I would rather be safe than go early.' In all, 49 drivers or riders have died at Spa in 100 years.


Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Piastri beats Norris in rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 27 (Reuters) - Oscar Piastri passed McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris with a bold early move to win the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix and extend his Formula One lead to 16 points on Sunday. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari as reigning champions McLaren celebrated their sixth one-two finish in 13 races and the third in a row. The race at Spa-Francorchamps was red-flagged after an initial formation lap and delayed by an hour and 20 minutes due to the weather, with standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility. Piastri was in no mood for hanging around when the racing got going with a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car to check conditions. The Australian slipstreamed Norris through the daunting Eau Rouge and then scythed past down the Kemmel straight into Les Combes in a move of total commitment in the treacherous conditions. "I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn One, lifted as little as I dared out of Eau Rouge," he said. "The rest of the race we managed really well. I struggled at the end. Maybe the mediums were not the best for the last five or six laps. We had it mostly under control." The win was his sixth of the season, making the 24-year-old the first Australian -- on a list that includes past world champions Jack Brabham and Alan Jones -- to triumph so many times in a single campaign. Norris had a slight battery issue, the Briton asking over the radio why he had "no pack" before his race engineer assured him it was coming back, but he was not looking for any excuses afterwards. "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say. Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run," he said. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." Piastri now has 266 points to Norris' 250. Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen is third but 81 points off the lead and the championship more than ever a two-horse race with Hungary up next weekend before the August break. McLaren lead the constructors' standings with 516 points to Ferrari's 248 while Mercedes fell further behind their Italian rivals on 220. Piastri pitted on lap 12 of 44 to switch from intermediates to medium tyres on a drying track and Norris followed a lap later, but opting for the hards and rejoining nine seconds behind. The Briton might have hoped Piastri would have to pit again but the Australian made the tyres last to the chequered flag on a one-stop strategy. Piastri crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear of Norris, who had been chasing a third win in a row and managed to reduce the gap in the final laps before late mistakes left the ever-calm Australian under no pressure. Saturday sprint winner Verstappen finished fourth in his team's first grand prix since the dismissal of team boss Christian Horner , with George Russell fifth for Mercedes. Williams' Alex Albon held off Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton -- last year's winner with Mercedes -- to secure sixth. Hamilton had been one of four drivers due to start from the pit lane but given a big boost by the switch to a rolling getaway and a fresh engine installed overnight. The Briton was also the first to make the decision to switch to slicks and pit, gaining six places. Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth for Sauber and Pierre Gasly securing the final point for Alpine.