Top Gear Meets Top Gun in New F1 Movie Trailer

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer it should be no surprise that Brad Pitt’s F1 movie has a plot that’s pretty close to the billion-dollar blockbuster Top Gun Maverick.

A new trailer for F1 introduces Pitt’s Sonny Hayes as the wizened Sonny Hayes, brought in to mentor hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, at the struggling APXGP team by boss Ruben Cervantes (Xavier Bardem).

Hayes is billed as “The greatest there never was” after an accident at the height of his career over 30 years earlier. As he returns to the track he not only has to battle his rapid rookie teammate but also his personal demons.

Story aside, what the latest trailer reveals is just how good the racing action looks. That’s because for two seasons Formula 1 effectively had an extra team on the grid, as the film crew captured scenes around live race meetings, scheduling their own set pieces on track with the aid of the real-life teams.

APX GP’s cars were actually F2 machines, dressed to look like the latest Grand Prix racers and both Pitt and Idris had to learn to drive them at speed. All the action sequences are real, including a spectacular crash filmed at Brands Hatch, where the launch was so powerful it sent a car over the catch fencing. Where CGI is used, it’s only applied to re-skin actual F1 cars as APXGP.

For shooting pit stops the production team even built an electric race car that would reduce the risk for the actors, and some real race teams are now adopting the idea for drilling their own stops. Seven-time F1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton gets a producer credit and was heavily involved in making the movie as authentic as possible.

The attention to detail throughout the film led to delays in production, extending filming into the 2024 season, and test screenings have just taken place in Hollywood. You’ll be able to see it in theaters this summer. In the meantime enjoy the latest trailer.