In pole position Formula 1 embraced Brad Pitt movie to help build fanbase

After the British Grand Prix last year the drivers took their places in the media zone for interviews, with Formula 1 world champions Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso all lined up. Yet it was all but impossible not to glance sideways as Brad Pitt strolled out to face the microphones and cameras of his own, entirely staged, media scrum.

- Giles Richards

Pitt was there filming what would become F1 the Movie. And we, as with everyone else, were under strict instructions to behave normally. Indeed, by this point we had become almost inured to the presence of the stars and their crew after several years of being part of the Formula 1 circus. Almost but not quite. I mean, it was Brad Pitt...

The resulting film, released on Wednesday by Apple Studios, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski, stars Pitt as the driver Sonny Hayes, who makes a comeback to the sport after a 30-year absence to rescue the ailing and also fictional APX team.

The film, which has had very good reviews, came about through a collaboration between the filmmakers and the sport. Formula 1 bent over backwards to ensure it went well.