According to producer Jerry Brookheimer, the upcoming Formula 1 films will be titled “F1,” but they aim to make sports even bigger, especially in the US.
“F1” will be released in many regions on Wednesday, June 25th, but Americans will have to wait two more days for the release on June 27th. Reviews mix together following the global premiere in New York City and the European premier in London, but Brookheimer, who has produced films like Top Gun Films and Days of Thunder, says it’s about turning more people into F1 fans.
“It was a fun ride for us,” Brookheimer said. “For me, who is part of this world for the past four years, it’s been amazing. When we started, I wasn’t a huge F1 fan. I’m certainly now.
“Just watching (racing) move weekly or every two weeks is amazing to me. That is, the skills and levels of these drivers and incredible athletes. With just the team, how to build these cars, get them back overnight, how to put them back overnight, how much work it takes, and we tried to show it in the film.
“We tried to give you an example of what this world is like and how difficult it can be to drive in these cars. Brad (Pitt) and Damson (Idris) are trained for three months, starting with a road car, going up to the F4, becoming a driver, and becoming a part of these teams.
“One of the 20 people (before the screening), one person raised his hand and said he knew F1. At the end of the screening, everyone raised his hand (want to see the race).
“That’s what we want to bring. I hope you’ll take it from now on. We want to make the sport even bigger all over the world, especially in the US.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says that growth and exposure are aimed at having the sport itself, but filmmakers, including Bruckheimer and director Joe Kosinski, need to praise their authentic approach to the racing side.
“I take the point that I appreciate Jerry for the vision, but what we want to do is think big and that’s because (vision) helps us think big,” Domenicali said. “And together, we all had to get into sports and explain what sports is.
“And it was very important to develop these new relationships that began between us (F1 and the filmmakers) a few years ago, improve our knowledge and become authentic as a film.
“Everything you see is real, because what you (see) happened happened. It’s not fake. It’s not coming from another dimension.
“I mean, the one object we had was to feel the credibility of what we are showing in the world that begins in the week (this) week, but we hope that we will connect with new people who see Formula 1 for the first time and that new people will be with us for a long time.”