The Journal
“I wanted to make the most authentic racing movie that has ever been done.”
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Interview by Boris Schneider
GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF F1® THE MOVIE WITH DIRECTOR JOSEPH KOSINSKI AS HE REVEALS HOW REAL RACE CARS, IN-CAMERA ACTION, AND A PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE SHAPED THIS UNIQUE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE
After putting viewers into a jet cockpit in “Top Gun: Maverick”, acclaimed director Joseph Kosinski is pushing the boundaries of practical filmmaking again. Apple Original Films’ F1® THE MOVIE was filmed with real race cars against the backdrop of actual Grand Prix™ races. The highly engineered film promises to completely immerse the audience in the exhilarating world of Formula 1.
— F1® THE MOVIE, a sports action drama directed by Joseph Kosinski, follows the fictional Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP)
CUTTING-EDGE MACHINES
Joseph Kosinski, how did you develop the idea for F1® THE MOVIE?
I have always been fascinated by cutting-edge machines and speed. After working with Navy jets on a carrier in “Top Gun: Maverick”, I realized that no one had ever made a movie about contemporary Formula 1. So, I developed this idea of making the most authentic racing movie that had ever been done.
What intrigues you about Formula 1?
Formula 1 is unlike anything else. When you are at a race, it feels like nothing exists outside of it. The creative and technical challenge of capturing the spirit and energy of this world intrigued me a lot. Formula 1 is also the only sport I can think of where your teammate can become your biggest rival, which makes for great drama.
THE GUT FEEL OF REALITY
You chose an in-camera filmmaking approach for this project. Why?
No matter how well visual effects are done, I believe the audience can feel it in their gut if something is real. There is a tactility and a special feel to reality. It has a soul. Obviously, the challenge of capturing Formula 1 driving is quite different from filming somebody in a jet. Also, for F1® THE MOVIE, we went one step further, because the actors are actually driving these cars themselves in many instances. When they are driving, you see them strain against the force of the wheel and pulling real g-forces in the corners. They are not acting. They are driving. And this makes the whole experience for the viewers so much different than if we had filmed it on a sound stage or solely with stunt drivers.
Engineering speed for the screen
How come you worked with real race cars?
Toto Wolff, the CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team suggested that, rather than building a movie car and trying to make it fast, we should start with a race car and then build our film equipment into it. So, we ended up developing a car based on a Formula 2 chassis that would behave like a race car on the track but still be able to carry all this sophisticated equipment.
To capture the action, you engineered a completely new camera system.
Existing cameras were too heavy and too big, so we had to engineer a completely new camera platform. It had to be light, so that it would not affect the performance of our race cars too much. But it also had to be small, so it would not obstruct the view of the drivers. To pan the cameras to the left and right, we engineered a compact and powerful motor. And a wireless network, positioned around the track, allowed us to control everything remotely. The whole process for developing and manufacturing our filming equipment and fitting it into the cars lasted about 15 months.
— An original race car from the movie alongside a Mercedes-AMG GLE 63S camera car with motorized crane, displayed at the IWC booth at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025
— Film set during the shooting of F1® THE MOVIE
THE STORY OF ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS
How challenging was it to film during actual race weekends?
Shooting on the race weekends was an enormous challenge. It took years of planning and countless rehearsals. When we were filming a scene on the starting grid, for example, we would have nine minutes in total, which allowed us a maximum of two or three takes. It was more like preforming a live play on a stage in front of thousands of people. Everyone’s adrenaline is pumping, everyone feels the pressure.
Why are Formula 1 cars the ultimate machines?
The level of engineering and technology, but also the speed of the development, testing and manufacturing cycles in Formula 1 is insane. With F1® THE MOVIE, I also wanted to tell the story of the engineers and technicians who are working behind the scenes and around the clock on improving these cars and making them faster.
Tell us about your fascination for smaller machines – mechanical watches.
Like these bigger and more powerful machines I am drawn to, I am also intrigued by smaller machines like watches. They are so thoroughly engineered and thought-out down to the smallest details. And just like in a film that is shot with practical filmmaking in-camera, I think there is a soul in such a well-crafted timepiece.
— Reference IW388309 features an 18-carat 5N gold case with sapphire case back, black lacquered dial and a black ceramic tachymeter bezel
— Actor Damson Idris wearing the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Ref. IW388309 during an IWC event
— The Performance Chronograph 41 is powered by the IWC-manufactured 69385 caliber and engineered with a focus on performance, reliability and precision
COMBINING PERFORMANCE WITH AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK
What makes IWC Schaffhausen the perfect partner for F1® THE MOVIE?
The partnership with IWC is one of those collaborations that does not feel forced at all. For more than a decade, they have been the “Official Engineering Partner” of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, which gives them this unique credibility in the sport. So, this partnership was an integral part of the filmmaking process.
How did you use IWC watches to support your story in the movie?
Watches are an important element in this film as they reflect aspects of the different characters that wear them. For example, IWC’s Pilot’s Watches were great for our pit crew, mechanics and engineers as they have a robust, technical look. Sonny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) felt like he would have a vintage timepiece with a special character, so the modified Ingenieur SL from Gérald Genta was a perfect match and felt like something that his father would have worn and given to him. For Damson Idris’ character Joshua Pearce, we chose a watch that combines performance with a look of exclusivity, just like Formula 1.
— F2 Nose Cone modified as Formula 1 Car
The master of practical filmmaking
“I once studied mechanical engineering and aerospace and actually imagined myself designing race cars or airplanes. But fate then took me into the direction of filmmaking,” recalls Joseph Kosinski.
This fateful turn in the life of the American, who was born on 3 May 1974 and grew up in Iowa, was to prove fortunate for movie buffs around the world. His first big project as a director was “Tron: Legacy”, which was released in 2010. Despite creating visual effects in post-production, Kosinski even then tried to shoot as many practical effects as possible on camera – an approach he continued to pursue in “Oblivion” from 2013. In the science fiction epic, which is based on a graphic novel by Kosinski himself, he pioneered a new type of front projection system. Gigantic screens set up around the set allowed the actors to immerse themselves even more realistically in the dystopian scenery. Kosinski then returned for the sequel to the 1980s classic “Top Gun”, “Top Gun: Maverick”, a box office hit which brought audiences back to cinemas in their droves in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic – thanks in large part to thrilling flight scenes that Kosinski shot with special cameras in real jets. With F1® THE MOVIE, the successful Hollywood director is now taking practical filmmaking to the next level: in summer 2025, the ambitious production from Apple Original Films promises to catapult viewers into the world of Formula 1 in a way never seen before. The film is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, famed Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner and Chad Oman and distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
