Brad Pitt Learned to Be an F1 Driver from Lewis Hamilton and Will Put His Skills to the Test

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A promising rookie driver is making his Formula 1 debut this weekend at the British Grand Prix: Academy Award–winning actor Brad Pitt.

Pitt, 59, will be turning laps at Silverstone Circuit to film scenes for an upcoming Apple TV+ film about the world’s most popular auto racing series. The project, reportedly named Apex, is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who helmed 2022 box office hit Top Gun: Maverick. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is a co-producer.

Hamilton promises the film will “encapsulate what the essence of this sport is all about” and has said he expects it to be the best racing movie of all time.

But first, Pitt has to actually get on the track. Here’s what we know about the upcoming filming and Hamilton’s pivotal role in the process.

Is Brad Pitt Actually Racing?

If having the Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood star drive alongside professional racers sounds dangerous, don’t worry. Pitt won’t actually be on the circuit with Hamilton or anyone else on the current F1 grid.

Instead, Pitt will drive solo laps on track and in the pit area between practice and qualifying sessions in a modified Formula 2–style car. The film’s production team is expected to add computer-generated race cars later on.

That said, F1 has done a lot to make the experience as immersive as possible. Julien Simon-Chautemps, who has been an F1 race engineer for 14 years, tweeted pictures that show that Pitt and co-star Damson Idris actually have their own garage stalls decorated for their fictional characters, Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce.

And according to People, Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have developed the “smallest movable 6K camera ever” designed to make viewers feel like they are in driver’s seat.

Learning from Hamilton

Pitt is a racing enthusiast and an unabashed fan of MotoGP—even narrating the 2015 documentary Hitting the Apex about the world’s top motorcycle racers—but driving an open-wheel race car is a new experience for the actor. That’s where Hamilton comes in.

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One of the highest-paid athletes in the world according to Forbes, Hamilton has taken a hands-on approach to his production role. His Mercedes team designed the car Pitt is using, and the British driver has advised filmmakers on the script and storyline.

According to the BBC, Hamilton spent time with Pitt at a track in California to help him learn about racing. He has also been at Silverstone in recent weeks to monitor Pitt’s progress in testing sessions behind the wheel.

Hamilton has also been vocally supportive of Pitt’s lead role, which some people have questioned. The Babylon actor, whose character in the film is a veteran racer who comes out of retirement, is 18 years older than current eldest F1 competitor Fernando Alonso. That’s led to discussion about whether Pitt is too old for the role. “Brad looks like he’s been aging backwards. He looks great for his age,” Hamilton said, according to ESPN. “He’s super-fit, he’s been training… at the end of the day it’s a movie, so there will be a Hollywood element to it that will make it believable.”

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