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Brad Pitt’s new film,F1, has been filmed on real-life racing tracks and saw Formula One collaborating with Apple Studios for the film. Pitt has been a presence at F1 races from the British Grand Prix in July 2023 until the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. Not many fans will love Pitt’s presence after he potentially ruined Carlos Sainz’s last group photo with Ferrari.
The film follows a former Formula One driver Sonny Hayes, played by Pitt, who’s brought back to mentor rookie driver Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. After all these grand logistics for the film, some fans feel that it might not even succeed at the box office. They predict that the film may crumble under its own weight after the budget is inflated to an insane amount.
Did Brad Pitt ruin Carlos Sainz’s last night with the Ferrari team?
Brad Pittattended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 9, the latest filming location for his filmF1. According toFox Sports, he posed for photos with Ferrari and Alpine and shook hands with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Norris won the race at Abu Dhabi, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc claimed the remaining two podium spots.
Despite winning the second and third places, Ferrari lost to McLaren in the world constructors championship. If that was not enough, F1 fans were not too impressed when Pitt’s presence ruined the emotional day for Ferrari. It was the last race for Carlos Sainz with Ferrari before his move to U.K.-based Williams next year.
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Before the season began, Ferrari announced that Sainz would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton after the 2024 F1 season. The move shocked fans and it took some time for them to come to terms with it. Interestingly, Hamilton has a huge role in Pitt’s movie as he serves as a producer in the film.
As part of the season’s conclusion, Ferrari posed for a group photo with every team member, team principal, and driver in the team. Sainz and Leclerc would pose in front with their two cars that raced throughout the year as a tradition. However, Pitt and co-star Damson Idris reportedly photobombed the picture by standing behind Sainz and Leclerc.
POR QUE TEM UM BRAD PITT NA FOTO DA FERRARI????pic.twitter.com/26BAIYA76n
Many fans felt that Pitt ruined Sainz’s final moments with his team. There was alsoan uproar about Leclerc’s fate on that day. Despite his team losing the WCC and his teammate leaving, Leclerc’s emotional day was ruined when he was made to act alongside Pitt.
Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell joined Pitt on the podium where they filmed spraying champagne for multiple takes for a scene. The scene also saw Javier Bardem on the podium, reportedly celebrating and spraying champagne for a movie scene.
Pitt knew exactly what he was doing as he shared with Sky Sports,“It’s been incredible that F1 and all the teams have put up with us and let us embed ourselves in the race week”(via @BradpittHQ/X). He further shared that he was initially hesitant ofJoe Kosinski‘s idea of filming authentically during race weekends but now he was like,“We’re at work.”
Brad Pitt apologized to Carlos Sainz for the photobombing
Carlos Sainz told theBeyond the Gridpodcast that he was angry and frustrated when he heard that Ferrari was replacing him with Lewis Hamilton. However, he shared that he understood the move considering Hamilton was a seven-time world champion and one of the best racing drivers in the world. He shared:
I understood it almost right from the beginning. I think if it would have been someone else, I would have taken a lot more longer to understand. But when you understand Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion and one of the best – if not the best in history – is going to replace you as Ferrari. And Lewis has decided to do his last part of his career in Ferrari, and that you need to be one of the two drivers sacrificed for that to happen – I understand.
Sainz’s day on the Abu Dhabi track was hence one of an amicable departure with his former team. He addressed Pitt’s appearance in a YouTube video that was posted to his channel. He shared that theFight Clubactor had sent a handwritten apology letter for the photobombing. It appears that the actor realized he made a mistake by appearing in a farewell picture.
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Sainz shared that Pitt had no reason to apologize and that he did nothing wrong. He shared that the photo was even better with Pitt in it as he had a photo with his whole team and a Hollywood star. Sainz shared in hisvideo:
Poor Brad. Brad Pitt came to our team picture yesterday. He joined in the team photo. Today he sent me a handwritten letter apologizing because he thought it was just a normal photobomb and he thought the photo was also for my farewell, but it was not, so he did not need to apologise. He did not do anything wrong. In fact, it’s even better. I have a photo with the whole team and Brad Pitt!
It appears that Sainz himself has no issues with Pitt’s presence during the race. Alongside criticizing theF1crew’s presence during race weekends, fans also point outhow it will reportedly affect the budget.
Brad Pitt’sF1budget reportedly touch $300 million due to the production logistics
Director Joe Kosinski wanted the film to be shot on real-life racing tracks to keep as much originality as possible. Speaking toDeadline, both Kosinski and producerJerry Bruckheimeradmitted to the challenges of filming on real locations. Kosinski shared that the huge logistical undertakings of Formula One races were unlike anything he had done earlier.
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He shared that the filming took place in very tight windows since they were filming on actual Grand Prix tracks. They had to fit their schedules between the practice and qualifying sessions on these tracks. Kosinski shared with Deadline:
The logistics of it are unlike anything I’ve done before. We’re shooting at the actual Grands Prix, there are certain aspects of this film where we’re working in very, very tight windows, shooting on the track, between practice and qualifying sessions, in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
Pitt and Idris actually drove the cars during the scenes in front of a live audience of thousands of Formula One fans. They also had to drive it at the speeds that actual F1 drivers were going. The real-life locations of the film included:
According toVariety, Pitt drove amodified Formula 2 carwith an added Formula One aero package. According toF1i.com, the production team used Mercedes-developed cars, and the operation was overseen by Carlin Motorsport. The filming crew had their own paddock and pitlane at several venues, with proper motorhome, garage, and pit gantry.
The real-life locations meant that the film worked on a massive production budget to begin with. Kosinski, Pitt, and theF1team ran into a speed bump when the SAG-AFTRA strike reportedly delayed the production by three months, thus driving the costs further up. Matthew Belloni ofPuck Newsreported that the budget of the film has crossed the $300 million mark.
F1will reach theaters on July 13, 2025.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
