On the starting grid of the 2023 British Grand Prix, Damson Idris, co-star of the new Formula 1 movie, found himself in esteemed company. To his right stood world champion Max Verstappen, to his left – Hollywood star Brad Pitt.
“This is crazy,” Idris remembers thinking as the Red Arrows fighters flew overhead. At that moment, he had to remind himself that he wasn`t Damson Idris from Peckham, who used to race on PlayStation picking Lewis Hamilton`s McLaren, but the fictional character Joshua Pearce – a raw, promising racer determined to prove himself in F1 against his more experienced teammate Sonny Hayes.
The last chord of the anthem was the signal for Idris to embody his character and walk back down the grid to the black-and-gold car of the fictional APX GP team. Navigating among real F1 mechanics working on real cars before the actual British Grand Prix, Idris and Pitt were filmed by two movie cameras, attempting to capture a key scene in the $300 million film.
With less than 15 minutes until the race start, there was no chance for a second take. If Idris tripped over a tire blanket or forgot his lines, the entire scene would be lost – impossible to reshoot.
“It was kind of like being on stage, like theater,” Idris says in an interview arranged by the film`s sponsor, IWC. “As soon as I turned around and started walking, `We Will Rock You` started playing over the loudspeakers, and I`m looking at Brad, and he`s focused, he`s Sonny Hayes. And I`m like, `I should be Joshua Pearce right now! I should stop being Damson, stop freaking out!` Time to act!”
“But it was amazing, and I can`t wait for everyone to see that part of the movie, because for me, that was the moment when I truly felt: `Okay, we are creating something truly special that will stand the test of time.`”
The movie titled “F1” will be released in cinemas in June and tells the story of Pearce and Hayes racing for the backmarkers APX GP – a team on the verge of collapse during the 2023 F1 season. Pitt`s character is on a redemption arc, an aging and battle-hardened racer given one last chance by APX GP team principal Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem, while Idris plays a British rookie making a name for himself in the sport.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski – who previously teamed up on “Top Gun: Maverick” to put audiences in the cockpit of Tom Cruise`s F-18 – promised to eschew green screen technology and film real stunts with real race cars at real racing speeds.
Filming took place on track during Grand Prix weekends. Pitt and Idris drove beefed-up F2 cars specially adapted by the Mercedes F1 team so they wouldn`t look out of place on the F1 grid. During a number of races in 2023 and 2024, APX GP had its own garage and pit wall, as well as being allocated 15-minute track sessions for laps between real F1 practice and qualifying sessions.
Thanks to movie-quality cameras mounted in the cockpits, viewers will be able to see Idris`s eyes through his visor when he drives a real race car in some of the film`s most dramatic scenes. It was a unique experience for Idris, who was given this opportunity despite having no real racing experience before this project.
“The first time I met Joe and Jerry was at a general meeting in L.A., it was around 2022,” Idris recalls. “They were talking about their plans and learning about me, and the following year, when we finally started pursuing the part, I said to Joe: `You know, in `Top Gun` it was real flying…` He replied: `Yeah.` I said: `So here will it be real driving?` He: `Yeah.` I said: `Okay…` but I was terrified!”
“But thanks to the training, this movie taught me that there is nothing a person on this earth cannot learn, you know? Being in these cars and sometimes driving up to 180 miles per hour – it`s the most exhilarating feeling in the world.”
Damson Idris drove a modified Formula 2 car for the on-track scenes in the upcoming F1 movie.
To make the driving scenes safe and realistic, Idris and Pitt received extensive driver coaching before filming began. On one of the first track days, Hamilton, an executive producer on the film, joined the team at Silverstone to drive various cars while the two actors honed their skills in handling the F2 cars.
Although the APX GP cars couldn`t match the lap times of modern F1 cars, they were still very fast – not to mention extremely expensive. Real racers Luciano Bacheta (2012 Formula 2 champion) and Craig Dolby sometimes subbed in for Idris and Pitt during some of the more complex stunts, including the actual formation lap at Silverstone after the anthem scene, and were also on hand alongside Hamilton to offer advice to the actors.
“Lewis was there all the time, giving us pointers, and Luciano Bacheta was with us every day, Craig Dolby too, just truly teaching me how to navigate that track efficiently but also quickly,” says Idris. “I am indebted to those guys, and when you see me and Brad in this film, you will see that we put everything into it.”
“My favorite track is probably Austin, Texas, because I had a huge spin there, and it made me feel like a real driver. It wasn`t part of the script. I was actually training there, so there were no cameras, but it`s funny, if there were cameras, Joe probably would have said: `Can we use that?` But it was amazing, so much fun.”
The question arises: after months of training and countless laps on track, who turned out to be faster: 33-year-old Idris or 61-year-old Pitt?
“I will always say me,” Idris says with a broad smile. “I have to because I know he will say him.”
“But I will say that man is so quick, and he`s really great with a clutch because he rides motorcycles, you know? There are probably lots of outtakes where I stalled the car trying to get out of the garage, and Brad just ripped out. But yeah, on the track, we both have the same amount of fun.”
Pitt`s superstar status is undoubtedly one of the biggest draws for non-F1 fans. When Kosinski`s crew was filming at races, it wasn`t unusual for F1 team members, journalists, and even drivers to try to cross paths with the Hollywood megastar.
“I was his security guard for 20 months,” Idris jokes when asked about filming with Pitt. “No, he`s just the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time]. He`s just a walking monument.”
“That man is fantastic, so humble, and he just proves that no one has the right to be arrogant, really. An absolute star and collaborator, he constantly wanted me to shine in this movie, and I mean, when you see this film, whenever Joshua shines, it`s thanks to Brad. He gave me that space, and he truly just taught me, as a person and as an artist: if you focus on something and stay motivated, there is nothing you cannot achieve.”
The film`s trailers have given a glimpse of what to expect, although the exact plot details remain a closely guarded secret. For this reason, Idris cannot comment on the specifics of his character`s storyline, but he makes an interesting comparison when asked to compare Joshua Pearce with current F1 drivers.
“I`m watching the new season of `Drive to Survive,` and with Oscar Piastri… I like the dynamic of last season and how they told Lando [Norris]: `You`ll be the main driver,` and Oscar was talented but had a lot to learn. I related to that when discovering the character of Joshua Pearce, although APX is at the back of the grid [unlike McLaren].
Actor Damson Idris talks about what it was like having Lewis Hamilton as a mentor on set while filming the `F1` movie.
“He`s a rookie, like any other, who is just really trying to prove himself in the sport, you know? And he fought really hard to get to the position he is in in Formula 1. There are always only 20 drivers on that track, or 22 if you include APX!”
“So, Joshua is the epitome of any young athlete trying to find their way to prove themselves to the world. I look at someone like [footballer] Lamine Yamal, and a character like that definitely inspired me when I was playing this role.”
For Idris himself, the experience of filming the movie has ignited a passion for racing. It`s not uncommon for Hollywood actors to enter motorsport – Patrick Dempsey and Michael Fassbender, for example, have raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and Idris wants to see how he stacks up against them in real competition.
“A hundred percent,” he says when asked if he will race in the future. “I won`t tell you which team principal pulled me aside and said: `Do you want me to pay for some lessons?` But for me personally, I would love to do something for charity, get on track and race Brad, Fassbender, and Dempsey, [actor and Ferrari Challenge participant] Nicholas Hoult, a bunch of us get in the car and see who`s the quickest, and throw in some Formula 1 drivers too, Lewis and everyone.”
Kosinski promised that the final cut will feature a number of cameos from current F1 grid members, and Idris confirms there were “planned and unplanned” contributions from some drivers during filming.
The pursuit of authenticity in racing films has always been difficult to balance against the need for a script that engages viewers beyond existing sport fans. For Idris, the real test of whether the movie achieves this balance will be found in the reaction of F1 drivers after early preview screenings at this year`s Canadian Grand Prix.
“What I will say about the drivers is that they were so accommodating to me and Brad,” Idris adds. “It made us feel like we were part of the crew, and I can`t wait to see their reaction to the film. They are the people I really want to please.”
