Is ‘F1 The Movie’ Based on a True Story?

“F1 The Movie” promises to be an action-packed film, showcasing the fast-paced and entertaining world of Formula 1.

Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a former F1 driver from the ’90s who had a promising career until an accident on the track nearly ended his life. Thirty years later, his friend and owner of a struggling Formula 1 team, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), convinces him to return to the sport. This time, he’s driving alongside the team’s hotshot rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), attempting to work together and nab some wins.

“It was a thrill to do,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer tells TODAY.com, describing the film as an “emotional journey we take you on.”

“That’s what we love about this movie. It’s a redemption story.”

F1 has become more popular in the U.S. following the release of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive,” now in its seventh season. U.S. viewership of the motorsport is also growing. ESPN recently said that F1 telecasts across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 are averaging 1.3 million viewers, up over the 2023 season and 2024 season average of 1.1 million per race.

With more people getting into Formula 1, many are curious about the events in the film and if they are inspired by real-life people. Bruckheimer, director Joseph Kosinski and the cast break it down.

Is ‘F1 The Movie’ Based on a True Story?

No, “F1 The Movie” is not based on a true story.

However, Bruckheimer and Kosinski enlisted seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer and adviser to make the film as authentic as possible.

Did ‘F1 The Movie’ Film at Real Races?

Yes, “F1 The Movie” was filmed during real Grand Prix weekends during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Real F1 drivers from the 10 teams were also included in the film, as well as team principals like Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur and Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, among other notable figures.

According to Bruckheimer, the film crew built their own garage and six modified Formula 2 cars designed by Mercedes. Kosinski also noted that the team developed a camera system from scratch that was small enough to mount on the car to show the experience of what it feels like to drive one of the vehicles.

“We had track time at every race,” Bruckheimer says, explaining that they would get a couple of minutes in between qualifying or practice to film the fictional APXGP team with the other teams.

“What was exciting for our actors is, first of all, they’re driving these cars at high speeds in front of 140,000 people and … 100 million people on television, nobody knew that Brad and Damson were driving these cars,” he adds. “Then we had the track when the teams weren’t there.”

Pitt also told TODAY during a surprise appearance at a New York screening about his experience driving the car.

“Our first scene was on the grid during race weekend at Silverstone (home of British Grand Prix events), where F1 started, and we were on the grid with the drivers,” he told Savannah Guthrie. “We got one take, and we’re moving on. And it just led to this great kind of energy you’ll see that I think shows on the screen.”

Calling the action “such a thrill,” he said, “It’s so hard to explain what these cars can do. We would be barreling down the straight at 180, and you think that’s something. But the fact that these cars can brake, can stop and make a complete right turn, it feels like the car is going to flip, and it sticks. It is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable what these drivers can do.”

Were Any Characters Inspired by Real F1 Figures?

No, most characters were created for the film. However, some actors drew inspiration from a number of people for their role.

Kerry Condon, who portrays Kate McKenna, the technical director for team APXGP, tells TODAY.com she drew inspiration from Bernie Collins, an F1 strategy analyst for Sky Sports and F1TV and former F1 strategy engineer for the Aston Martin F1 team.

“We did take a bit of an artistic license where I play a strategist in certain parts of the movie with the tires and stuff,” Condon says. “I was like, I’ll just do everything. But Bernie had a similar education to me, (went to an) all-girls school and stuff, so I kind of brought in a lot of my own background and made it my own.”

Bardem says Ruben was not inspired by anyone in particular, but more of “a mix of different team owners that I would meet or see on documentaries and and just put them together.”

“F1 The Movie” is in theaters on June 27.