F1 News: Distribution issues rock Hamilton's F1 movie as budget balloons to $300 MILLION

Brad Pitt at the filming of his F1 film at Silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Distribution issues rock Hamilton's F1 movie as budget balloons to $300 MILLION

The seven-time world champion's Hollywood feature is facing some big challenges

By Sheona Mountford.

Sunday 12 May 2024 16:00

Lewis Hamilton’s F1 movie budget has now surpassed $300 million to become one of the most expensive films ever made.

The movie is rumoured to be called ‘Apex’, with Brad Pitt starring a retired F1 driver who returns to the sport to mentor a promising young talent (Damson Idris).

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Pitt’s film also stars Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon, with Lewis Hamilton himself reportedly making a cameo appearance.

As co-producer of the film, Hamilton’s role has been to ensure it accurately depicts the realities of the world of Formula 1.

Brad Pitt will star in the upcoming F1 film

Are there new challenges for Brad Pitt’s F1 film?

However the film has not been without its challenges, the 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike delaying filming.

In addition, the F1 movie has surpassed a $300 million budget, which puts a lot of pressure on the film to be a hit on its release.

‘Apex’ will have to pull in $750 million at the box office to break even, another challenge for the project to overcome after struggling to find a distributor and release date.

The actors will drive genuine race cars in the film, an expensive commodity by itself, let alone the training and safety measures that will increase costs.

Despite these issues Lewis Hamilton remains enamoured with the movie making process, these other pursuits crucial to the champions’ positive mentality.

Lewis Hamilton has plenty of other ventures outside of Formula 1

“What I realised is that just working all the time doesn’t bring you happiness, and you need to find a balance in life, and I found out that I was actually quite unhappy,” he said in an interview with GQ Magazine.

"You have to find something else that can soothe you, can keep your mind going.”

Hamilton is not the only driver to be tempted by Hollywood, with Daniel Ricciardo co-producing a new F1 comedy titled ‘Downforce’.

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Brad Pitt Joseph Kosinski