Simply titled ‘F1’, Brad Pitt’s F1 movie is making headlines in the motorsport world. Co-produced by 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton and powered by F1 itself, the Hollywood venture, to be released on June 25, 2025, has found love from across the globe. But an unexpected detail about Pitt’s involvement in the project has been revealed by his close friend and ‘man crush’, Dax Shepard.

The unique selling point of the ‘F1’ is how grounded it is in reality. The Apple Original Films production is directed by Top Gun: Maverick Director Joseph Kosinski. Brad Pitt plays the protagonist Sonny Hayes, an experienced racer brought back into the sport by Javier Bardem’s character to race for the APXGP team and mentor rookie prodigy Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. To portray a racer who’s forgotten more than anyone will ever know, Pitt required a strong understanding of F1. But Dax Shepard reveals that his Oscar-winning friend hadn’t even watched F1 till about 2 years ago.

“This is vomitous, what I’m about to tell you,” Shepard said on the Red Flags podcast. “I know Brad Pitt and we both love MotoGP. We’ve done track dates together on motorcycles. So we text occasionally. About 2 years ago, I texted him. I swear to god, I said, ‘You’ve gotta watch this show, Drive to Survive. Call me when you’ve finished. I guarantee it’ll be within a day.'”

The 49-year-old actor, who also hosts his own F1 podcast, titled ‘Eff Won with DRS’, then witnessed his prediction come true. “I get a text message at 3 a.m. from Brad Pitt that says, ‘I’m on Season 3, Episode 8’ or whatever,” he added. “He had started, and he had not stopped. Then I see he’s doing a f****** movie about Formula 1 and he’s paling around with Lewis. And I’m telling you guys, ‘I’m responsible for that’.”

The irony here is quite intense. Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ is criticized by many hardcore F1 fans for its over-dramatization and false portrayal of storylines. From this, Hollywood has birthed a movie, promising not to sway away from the sport’s truth. A major chunk of it has been shot during live race weekends in 2023 and 2024. And a lot of this has been attributed to the Lewis Hamilton effect.

Brad Pitt’s co-star Damon Idris: Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to ‘F1’ is a “rarity in this art form”

Being Executive Producer, Lewis Hamilton has massively contributed to ‘F1’. From altering tiny errors in the script to getting the entire Mercedes team involved, he left no stone unturned. Brad Pitt’s training, all the way from F4 cars to F1 cars, was facilitated by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Ahead of the teaser’s release, Damon Idris shared the 7-time champion’s crucial involvement in bettering the story.

“He (Hamilton) lets us know that wouldn’t happen (in reality), which is a rarity in this art form,” Idris said. “Like I said, it’s a fictional story, so to have someone who lives, breathes, and sleeps F1, we are in no better hands. When I think of Lewis, I think of inspiring. It doesn’t matter what art form you’re involved in; you’ll always take a bit of Lewis and apply it to your life.”

In the past, Hamilton has shared how running his own film production company is his post-F1 dream. With this movie, the recent British GP winner has taken his first step to ruling yet another kingdom – Hollywood. And if Brad Pitt wins awards for his work in ‘F1’, you now know who else to thank – Dax Shepard himself.