Lewis Hamilton has high expectations from the Formula 1 film he is working on which will star Brad Pitt.
The Hollywood actor is attending the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend along with director Joseph Kosinski. The latter worked on the recent hit Top Gun: Maverick along with Jerry Bruckheimer, who is also involved in the project.Tim Cook of Apple, which will distribute the Hamilton-produced film, is also at the track this weekend. The seven-times champion said he is “incredibly excited” by the project.
“What we’ve been able to put together so far, team-wise, is pretty incredible,” he said. “I’ve got Tim Cook here this weekend, it’s such an honour to have him with us. Him and his team were so supportive with supporting my documentary and also green-lighting this movie.
“And then having Brad – legend. You’ve got Jerry, who really is an incredible legend of Top Gun, the original. And Joe is such a huge talent.”
Hamilton is setting the bar high for his film. “I’m really, really excited. I have such high hopes for it.
“I know we’re going to make the best racing movie that’s ever existed, both visually, and we’re going to work on making sure we pull on the heart strings of all those fans.”
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F1 teams met with some of the key figures behind the film this weekend. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said the first impression was encouraging.
“I’m looking forward to that project, seeing it, first of all, coming to life next year for us when it’s actually happening and then seeing the movie later on.”
Alfa Romeo’s Frederic Vasseur believes it has potential to transform the sport’s popularity in the way Drive to Survive did. “It could be a mega step forward for F1 in general, that as Netflix did a couple of years ago,” he said.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said he was “particularly impressed by the technology they showed us” during the meeting. “They used it to do Maverick, I didn’t know that this existed. So I think they are the best out there in the moment to do something like this.
“As Fred said, it’s the best for Formula 1. It’s very good, doing things like this with this calibre of people, and I think there’s no negatives, there’s just positives.”
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Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 11:10
Of course he does, he isn’t going to say “not sure it could be a bit pants” is he?
Andy Bunting (@wildbiker)
23rd October 2022, 13:36
+1 !
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd October 2022, 16:48
Yeah, since he is part of the project, surely he will be setting out to do exactly that @ahxshades :-)
Jack
23rd October 2022, 11:15
Think I’ll stick with Pixar‘s Cars trilogy.
Ruben
23rd October 2022, 11:19
I don’t know enough about car movies to have a good quality reference. From the small selection I did see I though Rush was pretty good, but when I hear ‘Top Gun’ as a reference I fear more for a second Days of Thunder.
Fred Fedurch
23rd October 2022, 12:23
elchinero (@elchinero)
23rd October 2022, 13:39
Lewis – noted “Film Critic”. He oughta know.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
23rd October 2022, 11:25
Is it just possible Lewis hasn’t seen Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix?
kuvemar
23rd October 2022, 12:40
Grand Prix has amazing visuals, especially for its time, but it’s a terrible movie otherwise.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
23rd October 2022, 14:34
Yeah it looks terrific but there’s not much of a story there. I love the cameos by the drivers, though.
pSynrg (@psynrg)
23rd October 2022, 15:23
Indeed, an absolutely rubbish forced romance – thus allowing the cars, the location, the sounds, the visuals to take centre stage. If that’s not what a GP movie should be, I dread to think…
d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
23rd October 2022, 11:34
Considering the people involved the film will certainly deliver in terms of spectacle and production quality. I just hope they don’t overdo it and manage to write a gripping and entertaining story that doesn’t just rely on stereotypes and cliches. That’s what bothered me about Rush. However, they managed to find a balance with the brilliant portrayal and drama of Niki Lauda , which made the film worth watching.
Baleux (@baleux)
24th October 2022, 11:38
Would you care to elaborate on those thoughts of Rush being stereotypical and cliche? Most accounts of Hunt and Lauda I’ve seen or read seem to line up with what was portrayed.
Steve (@duuxdeluxe)
23rd October 2022, 11:35
I mean, what else is he going to say? In all fairness, the bar is pretty low, but still. There have been plenty of examples in recent years where Hamilton showed that his idea of ‘good’ hasn’t exactly matched what the majority of people interested in F1 thought about it…
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
23rd October 2022, 11:52
Eh, Rush is pretty much the gold standard. If they can match that it’ll be fine by me.
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
23rd October 2022, 11:41
This what he’s going to be left with, as in few years Max Verstappen will smash all his remaining records.
Ruben
23rd October 2022, 11:47
I don’t know if it’s for the sake of comment section entertainment, but you’re not giving Lewis enough credit there.
Besides that I don’t think anyone in F1 wants 7 years of Mercedes style domination again, so I don’t think they’ll give Verstappen enough slack to run away with it. Also: maybe Max wants to do endurance racing after 2028, you’ll never know.
Ruud Schmitz
23rd October 2022, 12:50
I think you are throwing in your own windows with this comment. Achieving greatness in a time of dominance is not that hard. The dominance it technical mostly. Put a good driver in a dominant car, greatness can be achieved. But the previous writer said something about a driver only. Not a team. We are to see if that happens of course, but max dominance certainly does not equal Mercedes dominants. YOU are the one discrediting lewis. If anyone.
Ruben
23rd October 2022, 14:18
Hehe, well the previous writer said “This what he’s going to be left with” and you are adding an explanation on how dominance works.
Though I don’t agree with the way you diminish the driver’s role there, it’s beside point I was trying to make. Even if (and that’s a big if to me, as I pointed out above) Verstappen would snatch the records from Hamilton, I’m sure Lewis is not gonna be remembered for a movie alone. He’s a very skilled and successful driver, (seems to me) a kind and warm character and above all he’s not afraid to use his position to uplift other people and seek more equal opportunities.
Jeff
24th October 2022, 11:06
“Put a good driver in a dominant car, greatness can be achieved”
Just look at Bottas, a pretty crap driver who managed to win 10 races
Andy (@andyfromsandy)
23rd October 2022, 12:23
With the steady increase in the number of GPs since 2007 when there was 17 races it would be something of a failure now there is an extra 7 starting next year if he doesn’t get the most GP wins.
WimB
23rd October 2022, 13:16
Appendix to Godwin’s law:
As a post-2021 F1 comments section grows longer (regardless of topic or scope), the probability of a merits/talent comparison between Hamilton and Verstappen approaches 1.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 14:23
Again, thanks for providing the view from under your bridge
HJ
23rd October 2022, 12:10
Better than Herbie? No way!
Schmitz
23rd October 2022, 12:45
He means Brat Pit’s movie with his cooperation of course…. But as for being Lewis Hamilton, he can’t help thinking that way. It’s pathological.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
23rd October 2022, 13:35
I mean, it’s not a high bar.
Andy Bunting (@wildbiker)
23rd October 2022, 13:41
“making sure we pull on the heart strings of all those fans.”
Pull the other one it’s got bells on it!
Winning starring Paul Newman will take some beating.
MSO
23rd October 2022, 13:44
I mean, they should have gone for European actors and a director instead of using those from the USA who may possibly not know much about the sport.
Disclaimer – I may be wrong. Fully expect it to be god-awful.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
23rd October 2022, 14:14
That’s like the race to be the greatest British prime minister of the 21st century…bit of an open goal!
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 14:22
I mean, if the comparison is with the dumpster fire that was “Driven”, then yes – the bar is quite low.
Electroball76
23rd October 2022, 14:41
‘Brad Pitt’ & ‘Best Movie Ever’ aren’t words that sit easily together.
Håvard Telhaug
23rd October 2022, 15:15
It probably won`t be though
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 16:02
Yet still less disappointing than your vacuous comment I expect.
MichaelN
23rd October 2022, 15:18
Why so negative? Hamilton knows better than anyone what it’s like to drive modern F1 cars, and Kosinski and Bruckheimer have been involved in plenty of successful movie projects. Sure they’re not overly intelligent art house projects, but come on, folks on this website spend a lot of time watching F1 cars go fast. Let’s not be pretentious about it.
Wes
23rd October 2022, 19:07
I really don’t get the negativity towards this film. Hamilton has put together an incredible team that have been extremely successful in similar movies (Top Gun). Add Brad Pitt as the protagonist and I can’t see how this will disappoint. It’s also a bit like Hamilton’s current situation in F1 – a past racer comes back out of retirement to compete with the faster young guys (more like Schumi’s comeback but Ham was racing during that period too). Hamilton’s perspective and I’m sure his diligence to make it as realistic as possible is a great addition. The cinematography will be incredible and I have no doubt it’ll be the coolest looking racing film ever based on the cinematography of fighter jets in Maverick. I’m glad to read that all the team principals were impressed by their filming tech so I know they’ll master the visuals. As long as the script is decent I think it has a high chance of being the definitive racing movie. The old Grand Prix got the racing visuals and audio right but the there’s barely a story. Honorable mentions include Le Mans with Steve McQueen (no story there either but racing was good), Rush (decent visuals and decent story, I’d say the best modern one but still nothing incredible), and Ford vs. Ferrari. With these guys tech for filming I have no doubt that the racing visuals will top all those films.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 16:03
A sensible a d reasoned reply, how very dare you sir 😀 :)
Femke
23rd October 2022, 16:22
Seeing hamiltons taste in clothes, if that translates into this moviefilm, i’d ay far away from it.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 16:41
Bless, it’s not for you anyway
MGus.ai
23rd October 2022, 16:35
I would wait until there is someting on IMDB.
Usually when a series/movie is currently in production, there is some mention on the actor/producers info. This covers most production ser to be released in the next yeat or two. So, IF this movie is coming, it will be around 2025 – 2024 in the earliest.
By now, there is nothing. Given the amount of empty buzz/hype F1 likes to promote, I am not sure this movie is really coming.
I would count news like that as free publicity/finance roadshow. I mean, if the photos/quotes generate enough interest and finance is secure, then the writing/production will “begin to start to commence to get off the ground”.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
23rd October 2022, 16:43
Interesting to see the usual Hamilton critics are also film critics 🤣🤣
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
23rd October 2022, 17:58
The pain of the anti Hamilton brigade here is palpable.
A uber successful driver puts together a uber successful team of entrepreneurs, film directors, and actors, to make a Formula 1 film, and all they can do is rain on the project with any valid criticisms.
How sad!
Wes
23rd October 2022, 19:16
For real, Hamilton has gotten literally the best team of filmers, director, and actors to make an amazing racing film and everyone drags it in the comments. Somehow Hamilton, an extremely experienced F1 racer with most of the records being a producer is a bad thing to them. I can’t fathom how that’s bad for a film about an older F1 driver other than just blind hate for Hamilton. Dude has killed it getting the best people lined up to produce a great racing film for once, you’ve got to applaud him for this.
Sergey Martyn
23rd October 2022, 18:06
Brad is wearing thick felt cap – is this a suggestion that we’ll see him, Lewis and Angela in a threesome hot sauna scene in that movie?
Shimks (@shimks)
23rd October 2022, 22:39
Amazing the amount of negative opinions in these comments. If we get a great F1 film, fantastic. Why not hope for the best? Isn’t it great that at least this is being attempted, and with some extremely talented people signed up for the project. You guys seem so bitter all the time about just about everything. Makes you wonder.
Some really great racing films for you to watch:
Shimks (@shimks)
23rd October 2022, 22:41
Rush (2013)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Senna (2010) documentary
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
24th October 2022, 14:41
All those were amazing.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
24th October 2022, 14:38
It’ll have a killer soundtrack with hits like:
Take my points away!
Highway to the DRS zone!
It’s called racing, Toto! by Toto
You’ve lost that racing feelin!