Brad Pitt says they couldn’t have made ‘F1’ without Lewis Hamilton

Brad Pitt may be a movie star, but in the world of Formula One racing, Lewis Hamilton is one of the biggest stars in the world.

It was essential, then, to solicit Hamilton’s help for F1: The Movie, a film set entirely in that world. “I don’t think we could have done this movie without Lewis Hamilton,” says Pitt while sitting down with the cast for Entertainment Weekly‘s Around the Table video series (above). “When [director] Joe [Kosinski] had the idea, I want to put actors in cars on real tracks and embed ourselves into the pinnacle of the sport, he knew he had to get someone to guide us, to open those doors, to keep us honest — and his first call was to Lewis.”

F1 stars Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a once-promising Formula One driver who lost his shot at greatness in an explosive crash some 30 years ago. When Sonny’s old friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) recruits Sonny to help save his failing team, Sonny gets a second chance — if only he can stop butting heads with star rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).

The film often features Idris and Pitt behind the wheel, showcasing their driving skills in intense race sequences. The production team filmed around the globe at actual Grand Prix races, immersing themselves in the world of the sport. All of that is thanks to Hamilton.

“Lewis jumped in and we were going to race weekends,” says Pitt. “He opened the doors, set us up with all the team principals and the drivers. We had meeting upon meeting as they were trying to develop the story. Then he would sit with us and we had one 12-hour meeting in London where we were just throwing s— at him. ‘How about this? How about that?’ And he would tell us and describe his experience.”

In a separate conversation, Kosinski notes that it was Hamilton who helped them find the core of Sonny’s character and why he keeps driving. “We were able to talk to Lewis about what it is that really drives them deep inside to put their lives on the line every weekend,” the director says. “Lewis told me he had had three concussions from hitting the wall, yet he still got in the car as soon as he got out of the hospital and drove again.”

Adds Kosinski: “It really is a question of, what is it that drives these people to do what they do? And that was something that Louis shared with us — a really personal, almost spiritual aspect of it that we were able to infuse into Sonny’s character.”

On a more practical level, Hamilton also helped the cast and filmmakers learn some key, yet unexpected tricks of the trade. “He told me they use their ears when driving,” says Kosinski. “His hearing would tell him how close he is to the wall, how close the car is behind him, what car it is. He recognizes the sound of the engine. He can hear what gear they’re in, just from the way that all their senses are attuned to these cars.”

All things that Kosinski was able to incorporate into the movie.

“They’re also getting tones in their helmet,” the director concludes. “There’s an incredible amount of information that they’re being bombarded with. They’re not just steering a car around the track. They’re processing and strategizing at every moment.”

Through a wide-ranging conversation, the cast also discusses the stress of learning to drive, the impact and history of women within the sport and how Condon’s character reflects that, and watching Kosinski direct under extreme pressure.

Watch the video above for more. F1 is in theaters Friday, June 27.