Drivers made their first response after most grids took part in private screenings for Formula 1 films in Monaco on Wednesday evening.
Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were the only two drivers to skip the exclusive first screening of F1 films in the Principality, with the four-time world champion and new father choosing to stay home and stream online.
Asked if he had any reason to be away from the screening, Aston Martin walked, “It’s just something. At some point I’ll see it.”
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the F1 film will be appearing in theaters internationally on June 25th.
F1 stars Brad Pitt as former driver Sony Hayes, who returned to the sport to play fictional team APXGP and his rookie teammate Joshua Pierce by co-star Damson Idris.
Filming took place over race weekends throughout the 2023 and 2024 Formula One season. In other words, the fictional storyline is intertwined with the cameo of an actual F1 driver.
The film was a hot topic for Padoc on Thursday Media Day, before this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. After seeing the final product for the first time, F1 drivers shared their opinions…
Lewis Hamilton reveals nerves
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion listed as the project producer and who worked in the advisory role, admitted he was unsure about what his fellow drivers would think.
“I had all the drivers out there and I was sitting in the middle, I was nervous! I was like, ‘Oh god, everyone saw it for the first time’,” Hamilton said. “It was great to look around and see some of the reactions from the drivers, especially. I really care about what the drivers think.
“I wanted them to appreciate it and then I told you as you know.
“It’s something I’m really proud of because it’s something that’s never been done before.”
Carlos Sign gets “Eek”
Carlos Signs
Williams driver Carlos Sis said he only had the moment when he found out he was a nasty viewer.
“We only had a few ICKs, but honestly, not as much as I thought,” Sainz told media, including Crash.Net. “They warned us. They said, “Guys, we love your sport. We are in love with your sport. But this is Hollywood.”
“Ick” aside, Size claimed he “really enjoyed it.”
“For Formula 1 experts, I think we’ll see a bit of what we sometimes see on Netflix (the Survive To Survive drive).
“For new fans, I really believe it will attract a lot of new viewers. It will work very well for people who don’t know anything about Formula 1. For hardcore fans, journalists and us, we might think you’re a little bit American or a little too Hollywood.
“But honestly, I enjoyed everything. There were times when I was really surprised. The team did an amazing job putting together a very good Hollywood movie.
“Apparently they did some research with a lot of people who have never seen Formula 1 races. After watching the movie, do you want to watch Formula 1 races now?
“So it just tells you how good I think it’s for the sport. Maybe I’m totally wrong, but I think it’s going to do a lot.”
Esteban Ocon accidentally drops spoilers
Esteban Ocon
Haas Driver Esteban Ocon accidentally revealed some spoilers about the film.
“First of all, I told Lewis, it’s very immersed in the scene they’re driving, and I think that’s great.
“I think there were some great racing scenes like Daytona, for example, when they had a good fight with something like that or something like that.
“Overall, I think it was a great movie. At one point, as a driver, I’m in the paddock every time, and like racing, there was something that didn’t really mean much to us.
“What I really thought was good is that the last race is not just flying suddenly and winning the race, but something is going on in the race, putting down the red flag and not in Q3 or having a new tire…”
Ocon didn’t know that the media had never seen the film, but that was immediately pointed out to him.
When asked which part he wanted to change, Ocon replied.
“For us, there’s more racing focus, there might be more racing at points and more racing, but overall it’s the best racing film of all time and I think it’s a mega success.
“But I’m happy there wasn’t so many incidents with Sonny Hayes!”
Ocon’s Haas teammate Oliver Baerman was impressed with Pitt’s performance and added, “He did his homework.”
An overwhelmingly positive reaction
Ferrari home hero Charles Leclerc commented:
“And I thought it was absolutely fantastic that Sports had such a film. The scene is incredible. I was very impressed with how the camera was placed in the car and the angle seen from how the car was driving.
“I know Brad drove a bit of a really impressive car. He enjoyed it, so it’s really cool and I think it’s amazing for F1 because obviously we haven’t reached someone that could’ve reached without this movie.”
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin said: “I like movies, and I think it really describes that Formula 1 part and its sports part.
“But I think they made it very good. People enjoy it if possible, and I think that’s good for our sport.
Regarding concerns about how accurate the film is, Alonso pointed out: “It’s still a film, not a documentary or anything like that.
“There were some things that never happened, but I think the majority or almost everything in the film were so original and very representative when it came to the action on the track and stuff like that, so it was a very good thing.”
