I’m thrilled to discuss the upcoming Formula 1 movie F1, which is set to hit theaters on June 27, 2025. Brad Pitt stars as a former racer making a comeback to save a struggling team, and let me tell you, this film looks intense. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the guy behind Top Gun: Maverick, it was filmed during actual Grand Prix weekends, so you’re in for a real treat.
The movie has Pitt teaming up with Damson Idris and even Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton. They’ve got cameras mounted on the cars to capture all the crazy speeds and G-forces, and Pitt himself said at the 2023 British Grand Prix that it’s “speed you’ve never seen.” Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who made $1.4 billion with Top Gun: Maverick, are pulling out all the stops to make this a racing movie like no other.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. Back when they were wrapping up Top Gun: Maverick, GQ magazine asked Kosinski and Bruckheimer a big question: What if Tom Cruise had played the lead in F1 instead of Pitt? And they explained why that didn’t happen, and it’s all about how these two stars handle stunts.
You’d think Tom Cruise would be a shoo-in, right? I mean, he worked with Kosinski on Top Gun: Maverick and Oblivion, and both he and Pitt were once tied to a Ford v Ferrari project with the same director. But Cruise is known for going all out with his stunts, and that made the team nervous about putting him behind the wheel for F1’s high-speed scenes.
Graham Kelly, the guy in charge of the film’s stunt vehicles and someone who’s worked with Cruise on a bunch of Mission: Impossible movies, said he was flat-out terrified at the idea. “Tom pushes it to the limit. I mean, really to the limit. That terrifies me,” Kelly said. He even admitted, “We’d have had a crash” if Cruise had been cast. Yikes!
Kosinski agreed that while Cruise is extremely skilled, he always pushes to the edge, which could have been risky for a movie requiring pinpoint precision. Pitt, on the other hand, knows his limits. Kelly put it simply: “Brad listens and he knows his abilities. He’d be the first to say, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to do that.’” That made Pitt the safer bet for this gig.
Plus, Pitt’s got some legit racing chops. He grew up riding dirt bikes in Missouri and loves hitting the track on motorcycles for fun. For F1, he trained to drive real Formula 1 cars and totally held his own in front of live Grand Prix crowds. He brought the authenticity they needed without taking any wild risks, which was exactly what the team wanted.
Oh, and F1 is coming out in a packed summer lineup. It’ll be up against Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which just raked in $204 million globally on its opening weekend, and the John Wick spinoff Ballerina with Ana de Armas. Even Cruise is hyped about it, telling Entertainment Tonight, “We got the John Wick series with Keanu and Ana. You got Brad with F1. I’m looking forward to everybody having a good summer.”
That GQ question really got everyone thinking back then, and it’s clear why they went with Pitt. Kosinski and Bruckheimer played it smart, picking someone who could deliver the thrills without the crashes that Kelly was worried about with Cruise. With F1 dropping so soon after today, May 30, 2025, I can’t wait to see Pitt bring this racing story to life—it’s going to be one wild ride!