Brad Pitt's high-octane racing movie F1 takes the celebrated motorsport league to the big screen. Pitt, stars as Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One professional driver who comes out of retirement to mentor a promising younger driver, Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team. Pitt leads a stellar F1 cast alongside Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), and Tobias Menzies (The Crown).

F1 releases in theaters on June 27, 2025. As one of the most high budget of $300 million, F1 should at the very least be spectacular to see on an IMAX screen.

Brad Pitt's F1 Movie Is Not Based On A True Story

Pitt's Sonny Hayes Protagonist Is Also Fictional

Although Brad Pitt's F1 movie is based on Formula One racing, the film is not based on a true story. Pitt's character, Sonny Hayes, is not a real-life F1 racer, nor is his protégé Joshua "Noah" Pearce. Like other great fictional sports movies, F1 will feature real-world elements of a legitimate international sports league but will not be centered around a historical figure or events. The film will, however, be rooted in Formula One racing and will portray an authentic sense of the sport.

The Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP) in F1 is also a fictional Formula One team. Bardem's character, Ruben, is the owner of APXGP who convinces Sonny to mentor Noah. Sonny was a successful F1 racer during the 1990s before a near-fatal crash forced him to walk away from the sport altogether. According to Motorsport, the cars used to film F1 "are actually dressed up F2 cars, which have been modified by Mercedes to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the current grid."

How Brad Pitt's F1 Movie Story Compares To Real Formula One Drivers

More Than 20 Real-Life F1 Drivers Will Appear As Themselves

Although it's not based on a true story, F1 will likely be one of the most authentic demonstrations of Formula One racing ever put on film. More than 20 real-life Formula One drivers are set to appear in the movie as themselves, representing all 10 Formula One teams.

F1 should follow the fictional rise of Noah Pearce on the global stage.

These drivers include Lewis Hamilton, who is widely considered the face of modern F1 racing, as well as George Russell, Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr., and more. While full plot details remain under wraps, F1 should follow the fictional rise of Noah Pearce on the global stage.

Source: Motorsport