‘It is unbelievable’ – Brad Pitt reveals the F1 track that was the ‘highest of highs’

Brad Pitt has revealed the track that he felt was the “highest of highs” after experiencing various circuits on the calendar – both as a driver and spectator – during filming of F1 The Movie.

With much of the motion picture captured during actual Grand Prix weekends, Pitt was able to get a taste of several venues, including Silverstone – where some of the first scenes were filmed – and Abu Dhabi, both tracks that he enjoyed.

However, reflecting on his favourite circuits during an appearance on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, Pitt cited Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps as a particularly special one.

“I have a real love for Silverstone because we got our footing there and we got to live there for a couple of months – how spoiled are we?” said Pitt. “And then I have a real soft spot for Abu Dhabi because we spent another couple of months there and we finished up the film there.

“But the high of highs? Spa. Oh my god! 4.3 miles, 100-metre elevation change through the woods and the back. The Pouhon corner, it’s double [apex]. It’s off-camber and you’re coming downhill into it. It’s such a smooth, graceful feeling.

“And then of course Eau Rouge. We went to the bottom of Eau Rouge. Tim Bampton from F1 took us down to the base of Eau Rouge, and he said, “Turn your backs, just look up the hill and wait”. And the cars come right by the wall.

“Fernando [Alonso] went by, and it literally sucks the air out of your lungs. It is unbelievable. It is unbelievable.”

With Pitt and co-star Damson Idris both getting behind the wheel for the film’s driving sequences – in their respective roles as returning driver Sonny Hayes and rookie Joshua Pearce – the actors were able to experience some of the circuits for themselves.

However, Pitt felt that what he was doing did not compare to what he witnessed from watching the F1 drivers on track.

“That was that same weekend we were driving,” he explained of the Spa experience. “I’d been out but I’m not doing what Fernando was doing! When I first saw him flat-out around Copse at Silverstone – it is staggering, it’s breathtaking.”

Reflecting back on the experience of filming at Silverstone for the first time at the 2023 British Grand Prix – during which Pitt and Idris stood alongside the drivers for the national anthem before the race – Pitt said: “It’s nutty, but it brings an energy to the film itself.

“It’s like a race to make sure we get these scenes. We’re going to shoot it on the grid. We’ve embedded ourself in the race weekend. We have to prove ourselves. We will not cock up the programme and slow down the race, and we won’t be in anyone’s way!

“Damson and I do the national anthem. We turn around, we find ourselves walking with Carlos [Sainz], which was cool – these little accidents that happen. And then we get to the back of the grid and we get two takes for this scene with Tobias [Menzies] and Javier [Bardem].

“The day before, the very first thing we put on film was going out, taking the cars out on our own in front of 100,000 fans on Quali day, and that got my attention.”