Red Bull had major fear about 'F1 The Movie' that producers spent 'three years' convincing them wouldn't happen
Published on Jul 08, 2025 at 5:07 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jul 07, 2025 at 5:08 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Turns out that, despite Hollywood royalty including Brad Pitt starring, it took a producer of F1 The Movie a whole ‘three years’ to convince Red Bull that it wouldn’t be portrayed as the villain.
It seems the Formula 1 racing team was worried it wouldn’t come off well.
And it’s all down to the movie’s heavy involvement with Mercedes.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer took three years to convince Red Bull that the movie wouldn’t paint them in a negative light.
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‘F1 The Movie’ raised concerns for Red Bull
With a Mercedes providing the race cars used in filming, featuring AMG branding and team support, Red Bull was understandably hesitant.
It’s thought that Lewis Hamilton’s role as a consultant through his production company, Dawn Apollo Films, was also a factor.
He was on board to contribute to the movie’s realism and tone.
However, despite having driven for Mercedes from 2013 to 2024 – and McLaren before that – he joined Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season.
Brad Pitt and other Hollywood A-listers star
The cast includes Brad Pitt as veteran driver, Sonny Hayes, Damson Idris playing rookie teammate, Joshua Pierce, and Javier Bardem as the team owner.
It was directed by Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski and produced by Apple Original Films.
The aim was for high authenticity, so filming took place during actual F1 race weekends at real circuits like Silverstone and Mexico City. All of which created an immersive ’11th team’ paddock experience.
That meant that the actors were able to interact with the media and fans. And one even claimed that driving a normal car is just ‘too boring’ now.
The movie’s minimalistic title was inspired by classic racing films, including Le Mans and Grand Prix.
It arrived in cinemas late last month and has already been a box-office smash.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
