Team bosses are buzzing about Formula 1’s upcoming Brad Pitt movie, set to hit theaters in June 2025.
The film, simply titled “F1,” features Pitt alongside Javier Bardem and Damson Idris. Its trailer dropped yesterday, showing Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a former driver making a comeback to take on the sport’s best.
Joseph Kosinski, who directed “Top Gun: Maverick,” is behind the camera for this one.
“An example would be Top Gun, and if you look at what that did, it was enormous,” said Williams boss James Vowles, comparing the potential impact to what Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series has already done for the sport.
“Netflix has been transformative – and it’s not because they are filming over there in the corner. They really have transformed who we are as a sport and where we are today in the business, and we wouldn’t be the business we are without them.”
Vowles believes the movie will open F1 to “a different and larger market.”
What impressed him most about the trailer was its authenticity. “They’re doing everything to make it look like there’s not an extra gear they’ve added or an accelerator you can push harder. They’re fundamentally trying to replicate our sport in film.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur agrees the film could be a game-changer.
“I’m already convinced Netflix has helped a lot over the last years. If you go back to 2018 or 2019, F1 was absolutely not in the same shape,” Vasseur said.
He’s particularly excited about reaching new fans.
“F1 today is targeting a new audience—more female, younger—the same as what we had with Netflix. And from the quality of what I’ve seen so far, it was something magic, it’s good.”
Aston Martin’s Andy Cowell couldn’t help but joke about his colleagues’ newfound fame through the Netflix series.
“The work Netflix has done has made these two celebrities!” he laughed, referring to Vowles and Vasseur, who both featured heavily in the most recent “Drive to Survive” season.
Cowell sees the bigger picture in these entertainment ventures. “Events and entertainment, in addition to the 24 races, provide that opportunity to reach a broader cross-section of people—and it’s the business we’re in.”
The film arrives as F1 continues its push into mainstream entertainment, building on the massive success of “Drive to Survive” which has already transformed the sport’s global appeal.
