Brad Pitt Now Filming an F1 Movie Around Las Vegas

Brad Pitt may be an F1 fan, but that’s not the primary reason he was spotted around town during last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. Nor is it why he has returned, along with the second annual race, this week.

Pitt is toplining a movie for Warner Bros. called “F1.” It’s due in theaters June 27.

Pitt’s appearance at last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix was primarily for research for the role. But this time, scenes are being filmed.

According to London’s Daily Mail, Pitt was photographed “baring his sculpted abs” in a white suit on Tuesday night, surrounded by a working film crew on what the news organization called “a balcony overlooking the iconic Las Vegas Strip.” (It looks to us more like a VIP club in one of the F1 grandstands.)

On Wednesday night, according to Vital Vegas, filming took place at Omni Nightclub at Caesars Palace, featuring DJ Tiesto as the featured performer. (Tiesto wasn’t scheduled to perform there until Saturday.)

Many of the race scenes were already filmed in July 2023 at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, where a full garage and pit wall were built for APXGP, the film’s fictional F1 team. Scenes were also shot at the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City in October.

“You’ll see the cameras mounted all over the car,” Pitt told Skysports.com during an interview at the British Grand Prix. “You’ve never seen speed, you’ve never seen the G-forces like this. It’s really amazing.”

Pitt Crew

Pitt’s character is Sonny Hayes, a former F1 driver who suffered a career-ending crash in the 1990s and is coaxed by team owner Ruben (Javier Bardem) to come out of retirement to mentor a rookie driver, Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris). They end up forming a new F1 team.

A Jerry Bruckheimer production directed by Joseph Kosinski — both of whom created the 2023 blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” — “F1” was also produced by F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, under his film and TV production company Dawn Apollo Films, presumably to enhance the film’s authenticity.

The movie’s teaser, viewable here, gives you an idea of what to expect. (Spoiler: not Oscar nominations.)

“Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston, now McLaren, all have us beat on the straights,” Hayes (Pitt) says. “Our shot is battling in the turns. We need to build our car for combat.”

“How am I supposed to make that safe?” asks Kate (Kerry Condon), the technical director of Hayes’ F1 team and (wild guess) his love interest.

To that, Hayes replies: “Who said anything about safe?”