Where was the F1 movie filmed? Brad Pitt at real Grands Prix, 180mph. No green screens (okay, some doubles). Here’s everywhere the movie lost its brakes.
So here’s the thing: most Hollywood car movies film actors in front of a green screen while a PA shakes the camera and yells, “pretend you’re turning.” F1® The Movie (2025) said no to that nonsense.
Director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) literally showed up to real Formula 1 races – during actual race weekends – and begged officials for 10-minute windows to film between practice sessions.
Lewis Hamilton (yes, that Lewis Hamilton) produced the whole thing and personally vetoed fake overtakes because “no driver would ever try that without dying.”
The plot? Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a 1990s phenom whose career exploded (literally) at the Spanish Grand Prix. Now he lives in a van (romantic, we know).
Javier Bardem plays his old teammate Ruben Cervantes, now a desperate team principal whose back-marker APXGP team has never scored a point. Bardem coaxes Pitt out of retirement to mentor rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who hates him.
Kerry Condon plays the technical director who just wants everyone to stop yelling. Tobias Menzies plays a corporate suit who probably makes everything worse.
Chaos. Speed. Very expensive camera equipment. Let’s go hunting.
Table of Contents
🏁 F1® The Movie Filming Locations
From Silverstone’s grid to Vegas neon, here’s everywhere Brad Pitt raced for real.
🏎️ Silverstone Circuit, UK
Where Brad Pitt became a real boy racer
Principal photography kicked off at the Silverstone Circuit, UK, in July 2023. The fictional APXGP team’s garage was physically wedged between Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG.
Imagine being the Ferrari mechanic trying to concentrate while Brad Pitt is three feet away, asking where the bathroom is.
The crew filmed during real practice breaks, meaning actual F1 drivers had to wait for “cut” before resuming their million-dollar lap times. The entitlement.
What was filmed here:
- APXGP garage scenes: Intimidatingly close to actual Ferrari engineers
- Grid formation laps: Movie cars pretending they belong (they committed)
- Practice window driving: 10 minutes of panic, then real racing resumes
🏎️ Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Oil money meets Hollywood money
The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi hosts the film’s season-ending finale – because of course it does – it’s the shiniest paddock on Earth.
The production got local support so extensive that they used nearby Zayed International Airport for team logistics.
Translation: they parked cargo planes dramatically. The Abu Dhabi tourism board probably cried tears of joy.
What was filmed here:
- Final race sequences: Everything on the line, everyone sweating through fireproof suits
- Team transport arrivals: Helicopters and planes as cinematic punctuation
- Paddock tension shots: Javier Bardem‘s eyebrows doing heavy lifting
🏎️ Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary
The track where overtaking goes to die
Hungaroring is a tight, twisty, technical nightmare near Budapest that was chosen specifically because it isn’t fast. No one passes here. That’s the point.
The film uses it to showcase driver reflexes and close-quarter suffering. Camera rigs caught steering wheel micro-adjustments and Brad Pitt‘s “why did I agree to this” face.
What was filmed here:
- Mid-pack battling scenes: Three wide? In your dreams. One wide.
- Defensive driving sequences: Mirrors full of angry rookie
- Sweaty cockpit close-ups: Hydration sponsor missed opportunity
🏎️ Suzuka Circuit, Japan
The figure-eight that hates your neck
Japan‘s iconic figure-eight layout at the Suzuka Circuit means crossovers – perfect for dramatic “rival cars cross paths at the worst possible moment” shots.
The famous “S” Curves were used to demonstrate high-speed aerodynamic cornering, which is engineer-speak for “your spine gets rearranged at 170mph.”
What was filmed here:
- High-downforce cornering: 4G lateral torture, no chiropractor on set
- Spectator grandstand reactions: Real Japanese fans who didn’t sign up to be extras
- Figure-eight crossing shots: Dramatic irony meets blind apexes
🏎️ Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Eau Rouge: the cinematic gift that keeps on giving
The high-elevation Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps track in the Belgian forest was heavily used to film intense vertical G-force sequences.
Custom camera rigs captured APXGP cars charging up Eau Rouge and Raidillon – the most photographed corner in motorsport. The production went through seven sets of brake pads. No, really.
What was filmed here:
- Uphill compression sequences: Your organs go down, the car goes up
- Blind crest passes: Faith-based overtaking at 180mph
- Forest tunnel shots: Trees blur into green soup. Very artistic.
🏎️ Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
The Temple of Speed (and really old pavement)
Italy‘s historic “Temple of Speed,” Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Milan, was used to capture high-velocity slipstreaming scenes essential to the European leg of the racing calendar.
Translation: cars went very fast in a straight line while drivers pretended not to be terrified of the ancient concrete barriers that had killed faster men than them.
What was filmed here:
- Tow-slipstream overtakes: 200mph chess, Italian edition
- Parabolica exit shots: Rear-end sliding, crowd gasping, pasta cooling
- Podium celebrations: Champagne, screaming, someone cries
🏎️ Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands
Dutch dunes, steep banking, zero margin for error
The Dutch seaside venue, Circuit Zandvoort, provided coastal backdrops and the most terrifying corner on the calendar: banked, blind, and built into actual sand dunes.
The unique steep banking curves are heavily showcased during mid-season race montages, presumably while Max Verstappen fans wave orange smoke and deafen the audio department.
What was filmed here:
- Banked corner sequences: Like a velodrome but with 1000 horsepower
- Coastal flyover shots: North Sea views, seagulls dodging carbon fiber
- Mid-season montages: Steep banking, high anxiety, low visibility
🏎️ Las Vegas Strip Circuit, USA
What happens in Vegas ends up in the movie
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is the only major temporary street circuit in the film. Filming happened around 3:00 AM local time between official weekend schedules because the Strip doesn’t shut down for anyone – not even Brad Pitt.
Cars zoomed past Caesars Palace, which also hosted off-track plot sequences and a cameo by DJ Tiesto. Yes, the DJ is in the movie. No, we don’t know why either.
What was filmed here:
- Caesars Palace interiors: Off-track drama with better lighting
- DJ Tiesto cameo: Man behind the decks, car behind him, both moving fast
- Night race montages: Vegas glitter, tire smoke, poor life decisions
🏎️ Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
Where the crowd is louder than the engines
Based in Mexico City, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track provided sweeping stadium-section shots capturing the atmosphere of thousands of real fans packed inside the grandstands.
The high-altitude air (2,285m) makes cars slippery and drivers breathless. The production saved millions on crowd CGI because Mexicans just show up to cheer. Kings.
What was filmed here:
- Stadium crowd reaction: Thousands of real humans, zero acting required
- High-altitude driving: Less downforce, more praying, same result
- Grandstand atmosphere: Sweeping shots of people having the time of their lives
🏎️ Circuit of the Americas, Texas
Everything’s bigger, including the uphill braking zone
Located in Del Valle, Texas, the Circuit of the Americas‘ undulating track hosted the crew during the real United States Grand Prix weekend to capture North American racing segments.
Turn 1’s uphill brake zone is cinematic gold because everyone dive-bombs it like a Walmart parking lot on Black Friday.
What was filmed here:
- US Grand Prix segments: North American racing, Texas-sized egos
- Turn 1 dive bombs: Heavy braking chaos, late-race lunges, no regrets
- Observation tower shots: Track panorama, also a great place to hide from Brad Pitt
🏎️ Circuit Paul Ricard, France
The testing ground where Pitt learned to not crash
Acting as a closed-doors testing site, the Circuit Paul Ricard track was used for initial camera rig tests and driver training for Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.
Before the actors ever saw a real Grand Prix, they spent weeks here mastering apexes, braking zones, and the art of not vomiting inside a $50,000 helmet.
Paul Ricard‘s blue-and-red runoff areas are visually loud. So were the actors’ first lap times.
What was filmed here:
- Camera rig tests: Will the 10cm Sony survive 180mph? Spoiler: yes
- Driver training sessions: Pitt and Idris learning to feel G-forces in their teeth
- Closed-door testing: No crowds, no pressure, just two actors and existential fear
🏢 Engineering Bases & Non-Championship Locations
Not everything happened under the race-day sun. The crew invaded real F1 team facilities like uninvited but wealthy cousins.
The McLaren Technology Centre (Woking, UK) – that futuristic Norman Foster building that looks like a spaceship – serves on-screen as APXGP’s sleek corporate headquarters.
The central corridor of the Mercedes F1 Base in Brackley, UK, was used for interior team factory walks, presumably while real Mercedes engineers worked around a camera dolly.
Williams Racing in Grove, UK, opened its actual wind tunnel for aerodynamic development sequences, which is like letting a film crew borrow your PhD thesis.
Daytona International Speedway in Florida was used to establish Sonny Hayes‘ backstory before his F1 return, featuring scenes of him driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R in sports car racing.
Translation: Brad Pitt got to drive a Porsche at Daytona before you ever will. Life is unfair.
The Italian Grand Prix is set at Monza, but Sonny Hayes‘ dramatic, high-impact crash sequence was safely simulated using physical launch ramps at Brands Hatch, Kent, UK. Because Monza said, “No, you will not crash into our ancient walls.” Fair.
Rockingham Motor Speedway (RIP, you’re now a logistics hub) was also used for additional scenes. Pour one out for Rockingham.
What was filmed here:
- McLaren Technology Centre: APXGP “headquarters,” aka the coolest office ever filmed
- Mercedes F1 Base: Interior factory walks, real engineers pretending not to stare
- Williams Racing: Wind tunnel scenes, aerodynamic nerdery at its finest
- Brands Hatch: Fake crash, real ramps, zero actual injuries (probably)
- Daytona Speedway: Porsche 911 GT3 R backstory, jealousy-inducing
- Rockingham Motor Speedway: Additional scenes (BBC confirmed, bring tissues)
🎬 Studio Locations – Where the Real Magic Happened
The production team built fully functional garage spaces and pit walls right alongside real teams during actual Grand Prix weekends. Imagine being a Red Bull mechanic, trying to change a tire in 1.9 seconds, and Brad Pitt‘s hair stylist walks past. That happened.
Director Kosinski operated from a paddock base station, monitoring 16 live screens. He called out camera adjustments like a live TV director – meaning he yelled a lot, and everyone panicked.
Sony and Panavision built 10cm x 10cm 4K cameras (a quarter the size of Top Gun: Maverick‘s), allowing 4 remote cameras in a single car. Translation: you can watch Brad Pitt sweat from four angles at once. You’re welcome.
The fictional “APXGP” team used real F2 chassis. To make them look like F1 cars, they teamed up with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff – the man who glares at cameras like they owe him money – to bolt on authentic F1 bodywork. Cinema is wild.
What was filmed here:
- Paddock base station: 16 screens, one director, many panic sweats
- Cockpit camera work: 4 remote cameras per car, zero privacy for actors
- APXGP garage build: Full pit walls, real mechanics, Hollywood chaos
❓ F1® The Movie FAQ
Because even F1 drivers sometimes ask for directions.
What were the F1 movie filming dates?
Production ran across the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons, starting at Silverstone in July 2023. That’s two years of airport security, hotel breakfasts, and Lewis Hamilton saying “that overtake would never work” in editing bays.
Where was F1 invented/originated/started/created/founded?
The first Formula 1 World Championship race was the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The FIA was founded in Paris in 1904. You’re welcome for the history lesson.
Where was F1 testing filmed for the movie?
Circuit Paul Ricard in France – closed-door sessions for driver training and camera rig tests. No crowds, no pressure, just Brad Pitt learning that 4Gs feels like a gorilla sitting on your chest.
Why wasn’t Michael Fassbender cast?
Look, Michael Fassbender is a legit racer – he’s competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the European Le Mans Series. He also narrated the official F1 documentary, 1: Life on the Limit (2013).
But the script needed an “aging veteran” in his late 50s-60s; Fassbender is late 40s and lacked the generational contrast to mentor the rookie. Plus, casting Fassbender would confuse purists who already associate his voice with real F1 documentaries.
So Pitt got the van-dwelling role. Fassbender got… to keep being an actual racing driver. Not a bad consolation prize.
📺 Where to Watch F1® The Movie (2025)
Where can I watch F1® The Movie? You’ve made it this far – don’t pit now.
- Amazon Prime Video: Exclusive streaming window post-theatrical.
- DVD/Blu-ray: Bonus X-Ray edition for people who like owning discs.
- Apple TV+: Primary streaming home worldwide.
Joseph Kosinski built a real F1 movie the hard way – by actually showing up at Grands Prix, begging for 10-minute windows, and hoping the weather held. Brad Pitt drove 180mph while wearing a camera smaller than a sandwich.
Lewis Hamilton spent hours in the editing room vetoing fake overtakes. Hans Zimmer composed a high-octane score with fast-paced techno elements (translation: your neighbor will hear it through the wall).
And somewhere, Michael Fassbender is doing an actual racing lap, smiling, and not caring about box office numbers. You’ll never watch a green-screen race sequence the same way again. Now go touch some asphalt.
Disclaimer: This fan-created article is provided for entertainment purposes only. We don’t guarantee the accuracy of any of these facts and don’t recommend making important life decisions based on them. All referenced titles, names, and related intellectual property are the property of their respective owners, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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