Lewis Hamilton says Brad Pitt's character in F1 film has echoes of James Hunt
F1: The Movie, of which seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is an executive producer, was released this week.
Pitt, 61, plays the role of veteran driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the grid after a long absence, with fictional team APX GP.
Hunt, the 1976 world champion, was famed for his charisma and maverick approach to motor racing.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton said: 'Firstly, I didn't write it. The writer, Ehren (Kruger), I am sure he was looking at people like James Hunt.
'He wanted a really cool character and he was looking at the characters from back in the (Ayrton) Senna days, so a combination of those drivers and I would say the James Hunt vibe.
'I don't know if that is what he ultimately chose, but that is the character I feel resembles very closely to him (Hayes) – a very cool, calm, good-looking cat and an elder statesmen within the team.'
Pitt's rookie team-mate Joshua Pearce is played by British actor Damson Idris. Filming took place across multiple races over the last two seasons, and F1 chiefs hope the movie will follow the popularity of Netflix's Drive To Survive series in cracking America.
The film premiered in New York last Monday and Hamilton was in Times Square along with the majority of the grid's drivers and cast.
He continued: 'When you are reading the script it is hard to see how it will play out, but then to be at the premiere in the middle of Times Square and having Brad up on the screen with a Formula One car and the F1 logo, I was like, 'holy crap, this is absolutely insane'.
'That experience was great and for me a moment I will never forget.
'I had seen the film so many times on my laptop, watching every different section for so long and making comments as we edited and improved it, and I was like, 'I have seen it already so I am going to leave and go to dinner', but I decided to stay and to see everyone's reaction after it finished was one of the coolest things and really special.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
37 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Don't know how funny that gag is – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie' dig
Sione Tuipulotu insists the British and Irish Lions must continue to shrug off any provocation during their tour of Australia after their overseas-born contingent were attacked by the Tannoy announcer at Optus Stadium. Tuipulotu, one of eight players in Andy Farrell's squad who were born, raised and educated in the southern hemisphere, was among those caught in the crosshairs before Saturday's 54-7 rout of Western Force. 'Another Aussie at number 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the Scotland centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil. Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman were also referenced by the nation of their birth rather than their adopted country, for whom they have qualified either through residency or family heritage. It continued a theme from the hosts that began when Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described Tuipulotu and New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki as a 'southern-hemisphere centre partnership' in the build-up to the defeat by Argentina in Dublin. Tuipulotu emphasised the words 'good humour' when brushing aside the jibes that he expected on his return Down Under. 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride,' he said. 'To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone! 'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.' The victory in Perth exposed several shortcomings such as a high penalty count and creaking set-piece, but there was also much to admire in the attacking exuberance that produced eight classy tries. Tougher tests than the Force await on tour but combined with the evidence gathered from the Aviva Stadium eight days earlier, Farrell's Lions are clearly keen to keep the ball alive – and on this occasion the passes stuck. Finn Russell was at the heart of onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who declared: 'He's ready to go. And that's good.' Well done, dad 👍🫶 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 28, 2025 Tuipulotu, who expects to be firing by the Test series as he continues his comeback from a significant ankle injury, said: 'We're taking ideas from all the nations. 'Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there are a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then those ideas are being sprinkled on. 'When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face. 'There's a mixture there and that's what's going to make it hard to defend for opposition teams. BEAUTY 🤩 Watch every match live on @SkySports. #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 28, 2025 'They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it like Finn. 'Finn's a world-class number 10 and he's been here, been there, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos Williams controlled the game really well. 'We're still growing, there's a lot of growth left in us but the identity at least, you could see how we try to play the game out there.'
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Charli XCX fans raging over 'atrocious' lack of one thing from her Glastonbury set
Charli XCX took to the stage to headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival last night, Saturday June 28. Charli XCX stunned Glastonbury crowds with her headline slot last night, but fans are fuming over one vital element missing from her performance. The British pop sensation began sharing music on MySpace in 2008, and swiftly became a staple of London rave culture. Charli XCX hit number one in the UK charts in 2012 with Icona Pop collaboration 'I Love It', and her success soared following the hit 'Fancy' with Iggy Azalea in 2014. But last year, Charli rose to complete global stardom with her hit album Brat. The record topped the charts in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and made an impressive debut at number three on the Billboard 200. Charli's 2024 album also led to eight Grammy nominations at the 67th annual awards, including Album of the Year. She bagged three wins - Best Dance Pop Recording for "Von Dutch", Best Dance/Electronic Album, and Best Recording Package. Charli's fiancé, George Daniel of The 1975, who also topped the bill at Glasto on Friday, was amongst the excited festival-goers. The excitement buzzed amid speculation that Lorde would grace the stage with Charli to perform their collaboration 'Girl, so confusing' , reports the Manchester Evening News. But Lorde's surprise gig at Woodies Stage at 11.30am meant she didn't join Charli XCX, leading to some disappointed fans voicing their feelings online. On X, @ctphonehomee expressed dismay: "So lorde not being here is atrocious??" and @V4MPIRESHAWTY queried: "WHERE IS LORDE". One fan, @begforloves, expressed their surprise: "Now why would Lorde not be there", while @mattyscruff chimed in with: "not the crowd screaming bc they assumed lorde was coming out". @allyallonsy01 echoed the sentiment, stating: "I was hoping lorde was gonna come out". Lorde and Charli XCX broke the internet when the long feuding stars decided to work out their differenced through the song 'Girl, so confusing' which tackles the complexities of female friendship and girlhood. Despite Lorde's disappointing absence from her set, the Glastonbury crowds lapped up the star's energetic performance. But some viewers at home accused Charli of miming rather than singing live. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. One user fumed: "Oh ffs can't watch Scissor Sisters and Charli XCX is bloody dreadful. Could literally be any random person miming. WTF for a Glastonbury Saturday night, disappointing." Another added: "Predictable but shame nonetheless that charli xcx can't sing live #Glastonbury2025 #charlixcx FAKE." And a third said: "Charli xcx Embarressing [sic]that, turning up to walk around stage pretending to sing…" Charli has graced several festival stages already this year, including Coachella, Primavera Barcelona and Primavera Porto. Lorde has also been busy, having released new album Virgin on June 27. This marks Lorde's first new album since the release of Solar Power in 2021.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
‘Don't know how funny that gag is' – Sione Tuipulotu laughs off ‘Aussie' dig
Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions is tackled by Dylan Pietsch tackles during the tour match against Western Force at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. (Photo by) Scotland centre shrugs off stadium announcer's jibes Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Sione Tuipulotu insists the British and Irish Lions must continue to shrug off any provocation during their tour of Australia after their overseas-born contingent were attacked by the Tannoy announcer at Optus Stadium. Tuipulotu, one of eight players in Andy Farrell's squad who were born, raised and educated in the southern hemisphere, was among those caught in the crosshairs before Saturday's 54-7 rout of Western Force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Another Aussie at number 12, Sione Tuipulotu,' was how the Scotland centre was introduced when the team was read out for the Lions' opening match on Australian soil. Sione Tuipulotu, wearing a Western Force jersey, takes a selfie with the fans after the Lions' win in Perth. (Photo by) Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Pierre Schoeman were also referenced by the nation of their birth rather than their adopted country, for whom they have qualified either through residency or family heritage. It continued a theme from the hosts that began when Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt described Tuipulotu and New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki as a 'southern-hemisphere centre partnership' in the build-up to the defeat by Argentina in Dublin. Tuipulotu emphasised the words 'good humour' when brushing aside the jibes that he expected on his return Down Under. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I knew there would be some 'good humour' coming back home to Australia. These are all things we've got to take in our stride,' he said. Sione Tuipulotu has shrugged off jibes by the announcer at Optus Stadium. (Photo by) 'To not announce the elephant in the room, I am from Australia. I was born here. I don't know how funny that gag is to everyone! 'I'm loving my rugby playing for the Lions and I'm really passionate about it. Andy's brought the group together so well.' The victory in Perth exposed several shortcomings such as a high penalty count and creaking set-piece, but there was also much to admire in the attacking exuberance that produced eight classy tries. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tougher tests than the Force await on tour but combined with the evidence gathered from the Aviva Stadium eight days earlier, Farrell's Lions are clearly keen to keep the ball alive – and on this occasion the passes stuck. Finn Russell was at the heart of onslaught in his first outing of the tour and the Scot's instinctive play drew approval from Farrell, who declared: 'He's ready to go. And that's good.' Tuipulotu, who expects to be firing by the Test series as he continues his comeback from a significant ankle injury, said: 'We're taking ideas from all the nations. 'Obviously, the coaching style is very Ireland dominant and there are a lot of ideas that we're getting from the Irish coaches, but then those ideas are being sprinkled on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When Finn comes in, he plays his style. He plays to the structure of the team, but he's a very instinctive player and he wants to play what's directly in front of his face. 'There's a mixture there and that's what's going to make it hard to defend for opposition teams. 'They're not necessarily defending a structure of play, they're defending a structure of play with really supreme individuals conducting it like Finn. 'Finn's a world-class number 10 and he's been here, been there, done that. He's come off a really good season after winning the Premiership with Bath and I thought him and Tomos Williams controlled the game really well.
