F1 Drivers Slam Brad Pitt’s Racing Drama as ‘Inaccurate’ and ‘Too Hollywood’ Amid Box Office Success

Formula 1’s biggest stars weighed in on Brad Pitt’s portrayal of a retired driver, whose career was sidelined for decades after a catastrophic crash.

After watching the summer blockbuster, which grossed an impressive $144 million globally during its opening weekend at the box office, the racing industry’s biggest names and pros gave their honest reviews.

Fernando Alonso, one of the most renowned F1 drivers worldwide, alongside Charles Leclerc and Nico Hülkenberg, are among the racing elite who pulled back the curtain on just how real the movie felt.

Last month, the drivers spoke to MotorSport about how Hollywood captured the high-octane drama of their world, whether creative liberties were taken, and what they would have liked to see more of in the movie.

‘I truly enjoyed it. I think for us F1 experts we’re going to see things a bit like we sometimes see with [Drive to Survive],’ the Williams racer said after the advanced screening.

He continued: ‘You can tell they’re a bit Hollywood-esque. I truly believe that it will attract a lot of new audiences and it will do very well for the people that don’t know anything about Formula 1.’

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While he said hardcore fans and journalists may ‘see things that might be a bit too American or a bit too Hollywood’ that, overall, he ‘enjoyed the whole film.’

‘For the hardcore fan and for journalists we will see things that might be a bit too American or a bit too Hollywood. But honestly I enjoyed the whole film.’

Oliver Bearman echoed a similar sentiment as he pointed out ‘there are some things that aren’t fully accurate’ but that they made ‘it super captivating for the audience.’

‘There’s a small minority of us that will maybe find that a bit untrue, but I think for the majority it’s going to be a fantastic movie,’ he concluded.

French motorsports racing driver, Esteban Ocon, also weighed in on what he would have preferred the film captured.

‘There were things that didn’t make too much sense for us as drivers being inside the paddock… For us, there are a few things that I would have liked to be more racing focused and maybe a bit less crashing.’

Still, he insisted ‘it’s still by far the best racing movie of all time and it will have a mega success.’

‘It was super immersive. The driving scenes were fantastic, and something we’ve never seen before. I really see where Lewis [Hamilton] has put his touch on it to try and make everything as realistic as possible,’ Ocon remarked.

After watching the summer blockbuster, which grossed an impressive $144 million globally during its opening weekend at the box office, the racing industry’s biggest names and pros gave their honest reviews

Fernando Alonso, one of the most renowned F1 drivers worldwide, alongside Charles Leclerc and Nico Hülkenberg, are among the racing elite who pulled back the curtain on just how real the movie felt

Charles Leclerc, who won the Monaco Grand Prix last year, declared: ‘We are looking at it as Formula 1 drivers and we always try and see all the small details that are not exactly [accurate], but it’s just very Hollywood-like and I think that’s really cool because it’s not for F1 drivers, it’s for a broader audience.’

He went on to note that the ‘[driving] scenes are incredible’ and that he was ‘super impressed by how the camera was put onto the cars and the angles that we see from the cars driving.’

‘I know that Brad drove a little bit himself, which is very impressive and I’m sure he enjoyed it,’ Leclerc continued. ‘It’s amazing for F1 because we are reaching people that we wouldn’t have reached without this movie.’

Nico Hülkenberg reminded audiences that: ‘It’s Hollywood, so you need to take a step back and see the broader picture.’

‘It’s not about the fine details, but I think it’s still a new, fresh perspective. There were some good actors in there too. Brad Pitt is my role model now, my new aim is to [drive in F1 at age 61],’ he told Motorsport.

Isack Hadjar admitted ‘it was weird to watch a movie about Formula 1’ and predicted the film would ‘send the sport into another dimension again.’

‘It’s hard to give feedback as drivers because we’re really critical, but if you’re a kid or someone who doesn’t know about the sport, I think it’s the best way to get started,’ Hadjar told the outlet.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso praised the drama for representing ‘Formula 1 quite well.’

The drivers spoke to MotorSport about how Hollywood captured the drama of their world, whether creative liberties were taken, and what they would have liked to see more of in the film

‘It’s not a documentary, it’s still a movie, so there were a couple of [inaccuracies], but I would say that nearly all of the movie, in terms of track action, was very original and very representative, so that was a good thing,’ he said.

Alex Albon also agreed that director, Joseph Kosinski, and Pitt ‘found a good balance.’

‘I think for Hollywood, they did a good job,’ he said.

Liam Lawson predicted F1 will be ‘one of the biggest movies of the year.’

‘I can imagine somebody who’s watching F1 for the first time by watching that movie – they’re going to think it’s amazing. You can always poke holes, but it’s a movie at the end of the day, and I’m sure it’s the same if you’re watching Top Gun,’ he added.