Watch Brad Pitt get behind the wheel of an F1 car at Silverstone
Published on Jul 10, 2023 at 1:16 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 12, 2023 at 11:41 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Brad Pitt is starring in an F1 movie, and as part of his preparation for the role, he just took a real Formula One car for a spin around Silverstone.
The 59-year-old actor wanted to find out what it felt like to be an F1 driver, and very few race tracks around the world can provide that experience in the same way that Silverstone can.
This wasn’t a publicity stunt, either.
READ MORE: In the car with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
In the Instagram clip shared by We Are The Race, Brad Pitt is seen chatting with Ferrari and Mercedes F1 engineers.
“You’re going to have to work with a rookie [today],” the actor said as he was about to get in the F1 car with his own customized helmet.
This wasn’t Brad Pitt’s first F1 rodeo.
He’d never driven an F1 car before but he did attend more than GPs in order to prepare for his role.
In fact not that long ago, at the Texas GP, Brad Pitt got slammed on social media for shunning former F1 driver and Sky Sport commentator Martin Brundle.
F1 fans were essentially saying “you can’t make a movie about F1 and not know who Martin Brundle is”.
However, the two have since rekindled, and in a recent Sky interview, Brad Pitt even told Martin Brundle he wanted to “get him a cameo [in the movie]”.
In the unnamed Apple TV film (rumor has it it will be titled ‘Apex’), Brad Pitt plays a Formula One driver that comes back from retirement to mentor a young up-and-coming rookie.
So the whole thing – the paddock experience, the pit lane, the race track – is part of the actor’s training for the film.
So yeah, you got that right, Silverstone was actually used as a movie set.
In order to do things properly, Apple Studios teamed up with Mercedes to build a FIA-sanctioned Formula One race car.
Dubbed APXGP, which is also the name of the fictional team in the movie, the car Mercedes F1 team using a Formula 2 chassis.
What we know about Brad Pitt and his F1 movie
The movie is being developed by Apple Studios, tentatively scheduled for release next year.
It stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes and Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, a young Formula One driver who aspires to become World Champion.
The film also stars, Kerry Condon (Ray Donovan), and Tobias Menzies (Outlander, The Crown).
It will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion and Tron: Legacy.
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