Ben Affleck Looks Somber at Las Vegas Grand Prix Amid F1 Documentary Prep

Ben Affleck looked pensive as he attended the F1 Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit on Friday.

The 53-year-old actor — long associated with his viral ‘sad Affleck’ meme — was seen arriving at the paddock before final practice for the race.

The Town star kept warm in a blue jacket with a cozy brown collar, and a grey sweater underneath. He completed the look with a pair of khaki pants and sported a clean-shaven look. 

The outing comes more than eight years after the legendary ‘sad Affleck’ photo went viral. 

The now-iconic snapshot, taken in London in 2016, showed the actor in a blue sweater and jeans, cigarette in hand, looking exhausted and contemplative.

Affleck’s attendance at a Formula One event comes on the heels of news that he, along with his best friend Matt Damon, are executive producing a documentary about the career of legendary F1 aerodynamicist Adrian Newey.

Affleck and Damon’s production company Artists Equity, along with Whisper Group and Mark Stewart Productions, are working on a film — tentatively titled Turbulence: The Greatest Mind in Formula One — about the Aston Martin Formula 1 team’s technical director, Deadline revealed on Thursday. 

The documentary will chronicle Newey’s new journey following his surprise 2025 move from Red Bull to Aston Martin Aramco.

The documentary offers behind-the-scenes access to Newey’s new team at its Silverstone campus.

It will also follow his efforts to design a World Championship-challenging car for the British brand.

Newey has won 12 World Constructors’ Championships and 14 World Drivers’ Championships.

Speaking of the film, Affleck said it’s ‘about so much more than just racing, it’s about a living legend whose unrivaled career is full of ambition and reinvention.’

‘It’s those deep human attributes that we at Artists Equity feel so connected to and want to share in the stories we tell,’ he added.

‘We’re honored to help bring Adrian’s story to life alongside all of our incredible partners.’

The day prior, Affleck was spotted warming himself up with a cigarette while dashing around Los Angeles.

Later on he hit the stage at the Beverly Hilton at the American Cinematheque Award ceremony honoring Michael B. Jordan.

He joined a glittering lineup of presenters including Bradley Cooper, Tessa Thompson, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, Octavia Spencer and Phylicia Rashad.

Ryan Coogler, who directed Jordan in five movies including Black Panther and this year’s horror western Sinners, was also on the evening’s lineup.

Affleck was the image of classic red carpet glamour at the Beverly Hilton that night, decked out in black suit and black tie as he took the microphone.

He and the guest of honor have known each other since 2013, when Affleck saw Jordan’s breakthrough film Fruitvale Station, directed by Coogler.

They have since enjoyed what Jordan described as a ‘big brother–little brother kind of relationship,’ when he and Affleck spoke for Variety’s Directors on Directors.

Affleck recalled that he recognized immediately that Jordan was ‘a star,’ and as a result advised him to ‘be ready, because I know there’s a lot of things that come along that are difficult that nobody tells you.’

He noted that he himself ‘had a friend doing it with me,’ inasmuch as he shot to fame alongside his longtime close pal and collaborator Damon.

Although Affleck himself has never been given an American Cinematheque Award, the organization ran a retrospective of the movies he directed in 2023.

Damon was given the American Cinematheque Award in 2010, amid a star-studded list of honorees including ex-spouses Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds.

Other names who have have received the gong include Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Matthew McConaughey, Helen Mirren, Spike Lee, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson.