Lewis Hamilton releases heartfelt statement as Brad Pitt F1 movie hits cinemas

Lewis Hamilton has opened up further on social media about the role he played in the recently released F1 movie. The film, which stars Brad Pitt as the lead character, hit screens in the UK on Wednesday.

As part of the movie's plot, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a driver for a fictional 11th Formula One team, who are struggling to find success on the track. It follows the trials and tribulations of life as a Formula One driver and includes filming shot at real-life race weekends during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Hamilton, who was driving for Mercedes at the time of filming, worked as a producer on the film and was responsible for allowing such up-close-and-personal access to the sport's biggest names. Even before the movie was given the green light, Hamilton is said to have been crucial in convincing the sport's governing bodies that letting Hollywood into the paddock would be a good idea and he helped ensure the racing sequences felt authentic.

Following the film's release, Hamilton posted on Instagram, saying: "Four years in the making-what a journey it's been. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone at Apple and Warner Bros. for believing in us and partnering with such heart and vision. To Joe [Kosinski] and Jerry [Bruckheimer] -thank you. I've learned so much from both of you, and it's truly been an honour to work alongside you.

"These were taken on our very first day on track, with Brad at Silverstone looking into Copse Corner. What a moment. One of those memories that stick with you. We've poured everything we have into this film. I really hope you'll feel that when you watch it. We gave it our all and we can't wait for you to see it. Go check it out as soon as you can, it's out today in the UK and out in the US on Friday. Hope you love it."

His contributions didn't go unnoticed, with Kosinski previously revealing: "He was involved in obviously all the technical details, just fascinating advice from him. At Hungary, for instance, he said, 'if Brad's going to let someone pass during a blue flag and he wants it to be as tight as possible, he's going to only do that at turn six.'

"That kind of detail on these beats from a seven-time world champion who lives and breathes this world every day, I couldn't have gotten that from anywhere else."