Interesting Facts About F1: The Movie Nominated for an Oscar

Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes in F1: THE MOVIE, a former talented racer who returns to Formula 1 after suffering a severe injury from an accident decades earlier. He is recruited by his former teammate, who is now the owner of an underdog team, to help save the team by achieving one victory before the season ends. At APX GP, Sonny must collaborate and compete with ambitious rookie driver Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, creating a mentor and rival dynamic on the racetrack.

F1: THE MOVIE has successfully captured the world's attention after officially receiving a nomination for the Academy Awards (Oscars) 2026. This film is directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars Brad Pitt. It is considered to have made the biggest surprise by breaking into the Best Picture nomination, which is a rare achievement for racing and action blockbuster films.

Not only impressive on screen, but F1: THE MOVIE also involves seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer to ensure every detail of the race feels authentic. With real circuit action, advanced film technology, and great success at the box office, F1: THE MOVIE has proven that racing films can compete at the biggest Hollywood award events.

The film F1: THE MOVIE achieved a significant milestone by receiving four nominations at the 2026 Academy Awards, namely Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. This achievement is very special because only ten films can enter the Best Picture category each year, competing with other films like Sinners, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. This success also marks the return of racing-themed films to the world's highest film award stage after a long time without significant recognition.

This work by director Joseph Kosinski was filmed live at various real Formula 1 races throughout the 2023-2024 season. The shooting locations include several iconic circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico, Monza in Italy, Silverstone in the UK, Hungaroring in Hungary, Suzuka in Japan, Zandvoort in the Netherlands, and the season-ending race at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Additionally, the production process also took place at several non-F1 tracks, including Daytona Beach in Florida, to complement the racing scenes in the film.

The film is greatly influenced by the role of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as an executive producer. Director Joseph Kosinski even mentioned that Hamilton was very important from the early stages of production, starting from ensuring technical accuracy to helping shape the story about veteran and rookie racers in the film. Hamilton also assessed the driving skills of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, who underwent months of training to truly be able to drive a race car. According to Kosinski, Hamilton's insights as a racer who has gone from rookie to world champion made the film feel authentic; he emphasized that this film would not have come to fruition without the involvement of the drivers and F1 teams.

The production of F1: THE MOVIE had to follow strict rules to avoid disrupting the races, so the crew could only utilize short breaks of about 5-15 minutes between practice or qualifying sessions to take shots. The actors and crew were ready in the pit lane with the cars in race-ready condition, then immediately entered the track as soon as the official session ended to record scenes in just one take. There is even an important scene in the grid that only has about eight minutes to be filmed, so the entire team had to practice for weeks using a stopwatch to ensure that every camera position and actor movement was truly precise.

The music for the film F1: THE MOVIE was composed by legendary composer Hans Zimmer, known for various blockbuster films such as The Dark Knight, Inception, Gladiator, Interstellar, and Dune. His extensive experience makes the music in this film sound grand, powerful, and full of energy, perfectly matching the fast-paced and tense atmosphere of Formula 1 racing. Zimmer's music helps build tension as cars speed around the track, while also enhancing the emotions in the stories of its characters. As a result, the audience not only sees the racing action but also feels the pressure, ambition, and drama happening behind the scenes of the Formula 1 world.

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