True to life or not, F1 movie draws on decades of drama

The racing scenes in Brad Pitt’s new F1 movie are impressively authentic but the filmmakers have also made much of how the sport’s past is woven into the plot — with a hefty slice of Hollywood artistic license.

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“We just drew from history. A little this, a little that, then we had Lewis Hamilton keep us straight,” commented Mr. Pitt at a New York premiere ahead of this week’s general release in cinemas.

F1: The Movie opened in Philippine theaters on June 25. It has an MTRCB rating of PG.

Apple’s Senior Vice-President of Services Eddy Cue, a lifelong Formula One fan and Ferrari board member, told reporters after a media screening that “there's not a single event in here... that hasn’t happened in a real race.”

That does not mean, of course, that such events could still happen now or that they served as anything more than inspiration.

The Apple Original Films blockbuster — with scenes shot during grand prix weekends — is a redemption story, with Mr. Pitt playing aging driver Sonny Hayes on an unlikely comeback alongside a young hotshot at a struggling team.

Seven-time world champion Mr. Hamilton provided advice and is credited as a co-producer on a movie scripted for audiences unfamiliar with the sport.