Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Piecing Together the Upcoming APX GP F1 Movie
Hollywood meets Formula 1, as Brad Pitt, Damson Idris and Joseph Kosinski work together with Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes Grand Prix team.
If you’ve been paying attention to Formula 1, you might have witnessed something odd over the past 12 months or so. While officially there are 10 teams putting two cars each on the grid, an eleventh team has been spotted! And no, it’s not Mario Andretti and his Cadillac-backed Formula 1 plans making an early appearance, nor is it Audi who’s taking over the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, but it’s something different altogether. It’s Hollywood baby! But just who, how, what and where? I’m going to try and piece together the most important elements, but straight up; it involves a certain Mr Pitt and Mr Hamilton, the director from TOP GUN; Maverick, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, and of course; IWC Schaffhausen!
It was almost exactly a year ago, during the 2023 British Grand Prix, that we witnessed something never seen before in Formula 1. Apart from all the on- and off-track shenanigans of the 10 teams and 20 drivers battling it out for the Constructor’s and Driver’s World Championships, an 11th team plus a 21st and 22nd drivers could be seen parading around. What was going on?
Simple, really, as Hollywood had taken an interest in the exciting world of Formula 1. With that, things started to slowly come into the public eye, including a possible name; APX GP, or Apex GP. However, just before the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, it was announced that the movie will be simply called; F1. Sounds like the easy way to do things, but marketing wise it’s probably the most sensible thing to do. During our very recent visit to the 2024 Silverstone Grand Prix, we managed to take a couple of shots of the ‘action’ going on over the weekend;
Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and more
So, let’s first talk about who’s involved. The cast and team behind APX GP include some serious A-listers so it has all the potential to be quite a spectacular movie, perhaps even a must-see for any F1 and motorsports fan! The biggest name is that of Brad Pitt, the Hollywood Heartthrob who’s seemingly very good at adopting pretty much any role or character. From Se7en to Fight Club and from the Ocean’s series to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Brad Pitt could be considered one of the modern movie greats. The character he will be portraying in the APX GP movie, which isn’t an official title, by the way, is that of Sonny Hayes, a former F1 racing driver coming out of retirement to mentor and team with a younger driver. According to IMDB at least, but it seems like such a plot fits given Pitt’s age and all.
But who’s he mentoring teaming up with? Well, that’s Damson Idris, a British actor you might know from the TV series Snowfall. Damon Idris will be portraying the character of Joshua Pearce, a rising star on the global stage of open-wheel racing. And it’s rumoured that Lewis Hamilton will make an on-screen appearance as well (more on that in a bit).
Other big names are involved as well, such as Academy Award winner Javier Bardem (for his brilliant portrayal of the relentless hitman Anton Chigurh in 2008’s No Country For Old Men) and Joseph Kosinski, who will be directing this new F1 movie. Bardem will be acting as a struggling team owner enlisting the help of former F1 ace Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), while Kosinski should ring a bell to any cinema fan, as he’s the man who directed TOP GUN: Maverick. Other than Bardem and Kosinski, the cast includes Kerry Condon (Rome, Better Call Saul, the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Outlander), and a certain 7-time Formula 1 World Championship-winning Britton by the name of Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton’s involvement
Not only is Lewis Hamilton involved as an actor, but also as a producer and consultant. His Dawn Apollo Films company, launched last year, is involved both with this big-screen movie production as well as a feature documentary on his journey from karting to F1 dominance. With a record-breaking 7 titles under his belt, and winning no less than 103 F1 races and a staggering 198 podium finishes, he certainly has the experience to make sure the movie is as credible as possible. Lewis knows the business inside and out and has plenty of connections to help make APX GP a box office success.
But the collaboration or involvement of Lewis Hamilton goes beyond that even, as it seems like his career path is part of the inspiration behind the character of Joshua Pearce (Damon Idris). Pearce is a young and upcoming racing driver employed by the Apex Grand Prix team or APX GP. Despite this, Lewis is also credited as himself in the movie, so it remains to be seen how the story will actually be portrayed. Nevertheless, it seems like all boxes are checked; an upcoming prodigy, a former star coming out of retirement, a struggling team principal and so on. Plus, knowing that actual Formula 1 cars are used in production, and filming is done on track, it should look pretty slick on the Silver Screen!
The Mercedes & IWC Connection
Speaking of which, there’s plenty to be said about the cars and other stuff as well. Such a project simply needs partners, suppliers and sponsors. Part of this comes from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, who have supplied the modified Formula 2 car to be used as an F1 car. The livery reveals that IWC is a sponsor of the fictional team, and thus the Swiss watchmaking brand is tied up in this project as well. That all makes perfect sense, of course, given the longstanding relationship between both the F1 team and F1 ace Hamilton.
During shooting days both on and off-track various IWC watches could already be seen adorning the wrists of key players in the APX GP movie, such as Damon Idris wearing an IWC Pilot’s Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Ceratanium IW388106 (see above and below) and director Joseph Kosinski wearing an IWC Pilot’s Chronograph Edition “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” IW389004 (see below) that could also be seen in TOP GUN: Maverick. So from movie buffs to F1 stars, and from cars to watches, it seems like we’ve come full circle.
The APX GP movie, for lack of an official title as mentioned, is set to hit cinemas in June, 2025. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for anything on and off track, which we do too when visiting the 2024 Silverstone Grand Prix and perhaps you will see Brad Pitt or Damon Idris casually strolling up and down the pitlane in fire-proof racing suits, rocking some IWC in the process!
For more information, please visit IMDB.com, IWC.com or simply consult Google, as there’s plenty of info available already!
