Lewis Hamilton Pokes Fun At F1 Movie Star - 'He Just Teases Me A Lot'

Saajan Jogia | Oct 7, 2024

2024 Italian Grand Prix, Friday / Sam Bloxham

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton teased 'F1' movie star Damson Idris for his slow driving at Silverstone, while co-producing the movie, set to release on June 25, 2025. The film sees notable collaboration between the seven-time Formula 1 world champion and Hollywood's elite, including actor Brad Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski.

Filming for the movie has been underway at various racing locations throughout the year, including the venue for the iconic British Grand Prix. The film boasts a star-studded cast, with Brad Pitt taking the lead as an experienced Formula 1 driver making a comeback to mentor a rising young talent, portrayed by Idris.

Formula 1 unveiled the highly anticipated trailer for 'F1', just ahead of the British Grand Prix. In a recent interview, Idris shared a lighthearted moment where the seven-time world champion playfully teased him about his cautious driving on set, joking that he was "really slow" behind the wheel. Speaking on The Shop Live from Paris on YouTube, he said:

“He just teases me a lot, man. I said ‘man, I spun out a Silverstone,’ and Lewis was like ‘man, I’m driving really slow but when I’m driving slow I just remember I could be driving as slow as Damson.'”

Regarding Hamilton's involvement in the film, he collaborated extensively with screenwriter Ehren Kruger to guarantee an authentic portrayal of the Formula 1 racing world. Hamilton dedicated significant effort to reviewing the script, emphasizing the need for precise racing scenarios and accurate technical dialogue among the characters. Explaining his role, he explained in a recent interview with Esquire:

"Ehren [Kruger, the screenwriter] basically did a ton of research, watched a lot of races, came to a bunch of races, and then went away and wrote up a script. But we would sit and talk about what racing is about.

"Then once he wrote the script, I would sit with him and call bullshit, basically, on the things that don’t seem real and are not what F1 is about and try to make sure that it’s as authentic as possible. Then at the same time, I started a production company, so I’m a producer with these guys.

"I’ve been able to be involved in all areas—so making sure the cast is diverse, making sure we’ve got a woman in a pit stop, which we never, ever had at the actual track. Hans Zimmer was someone I wanted to have doing the [music for the] movie, so we have Hans Zimmer. Joe has been amazing at including me in everything."

He added:

"[I would call bulls**t on] racing scenarios. Technical jargon engineers would talk. But particularly racing scenarios and sequences between overtakes and pit stops and strategies and all those sorts of things. There may have been a crash that was like the car hits the wall and flips and lands on the wheels and keeps going, and that doesn’t happen in Formula 1."

Speaking on how he became a part of the movie, the 39-year-old F1 driver added:

"We were there from the beginning. There were a couple scripts out there. I had known Joe [Kosinski, the director] from when we talked about doing Top Gun: Maverick through Tom [Cruise]. Tom put me in touch with Joe, and there were discussions of being in the movie. And then we just stayed in touch. Then we all reconnected to talk about potentially doing a Formula 1 movie. And then we went through this whole process of working with a writer."