Five new things we learned from latest F1 movie trailer

The Formula 1 movie may not be released until June 27, but we are slowly discovering more and more details about the film before its premiere.

Now, with the official trailer having just dropped courtesy of F1 and Apple Films on Thursday evening, we've got more of a taste of what things are going to be like beyond the action scenes that we have been spoiled with so far.

Following the trailer release, and a chat that director Joseph Kosinski has had with the media, here are a few key elements that we have learned about the film.

A 'redemption journey' at the heart of it

We already know the background of Brad Pitt's character Sonny Hayes being plucked from sportscars in the USA into an F1 return, but the trailer offers us a bit more detail on the character.

The trailer starts with Javier Bardem, who plays Ruben the team boss, giving us some insight into what Hayes is like as we are treated to footage of his life in the States.

We see Hayes sitting in a laundrette, slouching in his bed in his motorhome and gambling – before a shot that must be from his earlier career of him getting ready to jump in a Camel-era Lotus.

"Some people look at Sonny Hayes," says Bardem. "They see a guy who lives in a van, a gambling junkie who missed his shot, the best that never was. I see possibility."

The trailer (which uses a section of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", a song indelibly linked to F1 iconography) ends with some emphatic hard-selling from Ruben aimed to encourage Hayes to make the move to F1: "I'm offering you an open seat in Formula 1: the only place you can say, if you win, you are the absolute best in the world."

Getting a good storyline in place for Hayes was critical for director Kosinski. He is clear that however much effort was thrown into getting the F1 on-track action right, it would have been wasted without a proper narrative.

"It always starts with a great script and a great story," he said. "I knew that no matter how accurate or exciting the racing is, it doesn't mean anything if you're not telling a story supported with great characters. So it all starts with the script."

He added: "This story has everything. It has the tension you would expect in a movie like this, with all the action, but at the same time, there's some real heart here, especially in the story of Sonny Hayes in this kind of redemption journey he's on."

Intra-team tension (and romance)

The trailer has offered us a bit more insight into the dynamics of the characters in the movie – and especially three of the main stars. And it captures a host of intriguing moments.

As Lewis Hamilton said after the trailer release: "This film has got it all. Brad Pitt, speed, thrills, an epic underdog story, drama, humour and a little bit of romance."

One thing that is obvious is that Hayes and team-mate Joshua Pearce do not appear to be the best of friends from the off.

There is clear tension between the rookie and the veteran, which is exemplified in a short conversation that the pair have in the trailer.

Pearce: "When was the last time you won a race?"

Hayes: "Sunday. Daytona."

Pearce: "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant F1."

Hayes: "Oh, I'm sorry. Then same as you…"

We also see Pearce refer to Hayes as "old" and "such a p***k" – and there are some moments of shoving – plus clashes in the garage and out on track.

There is also a scene where we see Pitt and Kerry Condon (who plays Kate, the APX GP technical boss) in a romantic embrace.

This will not just be a movie for F1 fans

While the original teaser trailer that was released at the British Grand Prix was mainly focused on driving action rather than dialogue, the latest trailer is much more traditional in offering a proper storyline.

We see more from the characters of Hayes and Pearce, as well as team owner Ruben and technical director Kate, than fresh stuff from the track – although there is a fun moment where Pitt and his team are jogging up Eau Rouge.

The storyline is clearly aimed at being strong enough to draw in those who are not hardcore racing fans.

As Kosinski said: "This is a movie about friendship, teamwork, sacrifice, and redemption. The story, I think, is universal. It just happens to be set in this incredibly exciting world of F1.

"If you're a Formula 1 fan, I think you're going to like this movie. If you don't know anything about Formula 1, I think you're going to like this movie and you might come out wanting to watch some races, or maybe even go to a race.

"So you don't need to know anything going in. We'll teach you everything you need to enjoy this." 

The success of the film rested on Pitt's driving talent

Pitt was cast as the perfect fit for the off-track elements of being Hayes, but Kosinski has revealed that a key element of the movie being a success was him actually being able to drive properly.

Kosinski did not want to use just stunt drivers for the action sequences, which meant Pitt and Damson Idris had to get up to speed at the wheel of single-seaters.

Pitt was always going to need some coaching to be able to properly handle the modified F2 cars that were used, but there needed to be a baseline of talent to work from.

And Kosinski recalls an early day of testing in some sportscars as delivering the moment when he could breathe a sigh of relief.

"It was me, Brad and Lewis Hamilton at the track together, all of us jumping in cars and driving each other around in sportscars, which was one of those things I'll never forget," he explained.

"What Lewis was really interested in was seeing if Brad knew how to drive, right? Because if Brad can't drive, this whole film wasn't going to work.

"So what Lewis was very happy to discover was that Brad had a lot of just natural ability, right from the start. I don't know where he got that, or if he was born with it, but I know he rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it.

"He's just a very talented, naturally gifted driver, which for Lewis, after that first meeting, gave him a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off."

At the end of it, Hamilton expressed his delight at the way Pitt had developed.

"Watching Brad drive around speeds over 180mph was really impressive to see, because it's not something you can just learn overnight," said the Ferrari driver.

"The dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness."

Kosinski wanted some magic moments, but didn't fancy a go himself

With the F1 film getting plenty of track action over the year or so that it was being filmed, you could have forgiven Kosinski for wanting to understand better the in-car demands and get behind the wheel himself.

But he has revealed that it never happened.

"There's no way they would let me near one of those [movie F1 cars] while I'm directing the movie," he smiled, before referencing the insurance complications.

"The closest I got was that first day with Lewis with some, not Formula 1 cars, but some pretty fast sportscars. After the movie was going, they kept me as far away from those cars as possible!"

But Kosinski did get some bucket list moments in the can – and especially one that pays tribute to the original 1967 F1 movie Grand Prix.

"I absolutely wanted to go to Monza in Italy, to see the old, banked track from Grand Prix," he said.

"So we shot a scene specifically there for that reason. It was an amazing journey around the world and I am really excited for audiences to kind of go on that journey with us."