All cameras were on Brad Pitt. While Max Verstappen recorded his fifth consecutive pole position of the season at the British Grand Prix, this Saturday, the 59-year-old actor was present to start filming a film produced by Apple and Jerry Bruckheimer on the world of Formula 1. Obviously, he was at the center of all concerns.
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, who respectively embody the roles of Sonny Hayes, driver at the end of their career, and Joshua Pearce, a young prodigy in the discipline, were able to drive on the legendary Silverstone circuit with two converted single-seaters. A fictitious garage of the Apex team has even been installed in the straight line of the pits, between those of Mercedes and Red Bull. The cars in the film were to run on Friday between the first two free practice sessions but without mixing with the “real” single-seaters.
And to put himself in the shoes of the characters as well as possible, the ex-husband of Angelina Jolie was able to count on the advice, certainly excellent, of the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, driver of the F1 team “Apex”. AFP/Ben Stansall AFP or licensors
Present at a press conference on Friday, the Briton praised this film project: “It’s exciting to see the project take shape and that filming begins this weekend. Brad (Pitt) is a connoisseur of motorsport, he also loves watching MotoGP, he is a motor racing enthusiast. I was here a week or two before the Austrian GP to watch Brad practice. It’s very exciting to see that everything is falling into place. We want everyone to love the movie and to make everyone feel like we embody the very essence of the sport. It is the objective. »
“For someone who has never raced, he already has a keen eye”
Lewis Hamilton was even surprised by the level displayed by the actor on the circuit: “We spent a day together on a circuit in Los Angeles. For someone who has never raced, he already has a keen eye. He already had a sense of trajectories. And he was really into it, which is nice to see. »
For his part, Pierre Gasly, 10th on the starting grid on Sunday (4 p.m.), explained before qualifying that the presence of Brad Pitt did not bother him: “You seem to know more about this film than I do! For me, it doesn’t change my plans, I stay focused on scoring points. And if I run into Brad Pitt, it’ll be a fun moment that I’ll remember. But that doesn’t change my approach for the weekend at all.”
A special weekend, which ended with a nice shot taken by the French driver with Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Brad Pitt under this caption: “Special guest today”. The film, directed by American Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), is scheduled for release in late 2024 or early 2025.
