Formula 1 will have an 11th team on the starting grid at the British Grand Prix, but this one, which will offer a drive to Brad Pitt, will not be fighting for victory.
The American actor completed a few laps at the Silverstone circuit as part of the filming of a film on the queen series of motorsport. His advisor and driving coach is none other than seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, who is co-producing the project, said he couldn’t really judge Pitt’s talent when he took part in tryouts two weeks ago. He was nevertheless surprised at the abilities of the legendary Hollywood actor.
“What I can say is he was stomping the pedal to the floor,” Hamilton said with a laugh Thursday. That being said, we spent a day together at a track in Los Angeles, and for someone who isn’t a racer, I have to say he obviously has the right reflexes. »
“He loves watching MotoGP (motorcycle) races, so he’s always been interested in motor racing. He already has the understanding of racing lines, apexes, and he was negotiating corners perfectly. It was nice to see that. »
Racing fans at Silverstone will see the car on track for some specific driving scenes. The fictional Apex team even secured a place in the F1 garages, between Mercedes and Ferrari.
Posters above the garage doors bear the unusual names of Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce – who are actually actors Pitt and Damson Idris, a Briton.
The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Joseph Kosinski, two men who worked together on the movie Top Gun: Maverick.
F1 is trying to cash in on the success of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive – a show that finally caught on with American audiences.
In addition, the queen series of motorsport was very happy to open its doors to the Hollywood project.
“I’m so grateful to them,” Hamilton admitted. I don’t know if this kind of project would have been possible 10 years ago when the old administration was still in place. She probably would not have considered this project to be important for the development of the sport.
“But we have already seen the work and the spinoffs of the Netflix series, and I believe this will allow us to take it even further,” he concluded.
