F1 legend Lewis Hamilton U-TURN enforced after unlikely rival launches fashion battle

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Photoshop — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off the Track

Lewis Hamilton U-TURN enforced after unlikely rival launches fashion battle

Lewis Hamilton is a producer on the F1 movie

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 21 June 2025 21:56

Lewis Hamilton received a challenge from an unlikely new rival following the F1 movie premiere.

The seven-time F1 world champion is receiving a production credit for the new film, which hits UK cinemas on June 25.

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Hamilton's role was said to include 'calling BS' to ensure a real-life F1 feel to the film, with huge stars including Brad Pitt, Jerry Bruckheimer and Hans Zimmer praising the role he played in the making of the film.

Now, another star of the film in Damson Idris has revealed that he challenged Hamilton to a competition for who could be the best-dressed, before immediately backing out.

Not only is Hamilton a hugely competitive individual, he is also a huge fashion fan, co-chairing the 2025 Met Gala earlier this year.

"I mean he looked great, not better than me but he looked good," Idris told media after the premiere.

"And I said 'man you always look amazing, we may have to, you know, start competing' and he said 'I'm the most competitive person in the world, you're on,' and I backed out straight away. I was like 'no you got it, you look better than me, you got it.'

"But again, innovation, leadership, fashion forward, fashion thinking. As soon as I was playing Joshua Pearce, I wanted to collaborate with brands that Lewis has also collaborated with. Because he's such an inspiring human being, such a beautiful human being."

What is the plot of the F1 movie?

Idris plays Joshua Pearce, a budding rookie racer who is partnered with Pitt's character Sonny Hayes at the new APX GP team.

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris star as Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce

Hayes is convinced to come out of retirement to race with the newly-formed team, prompting a fierce rivalry to break out between the two drivers.

A number of real-life F1 drivers star in the film, including Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen and Hamilton, while it has been filmed at a number of locations on the F1 calendar.

Pitt, Idris and the rest of the film's stars were regularly spotted across race weekends in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and APX GP even had their own garage in the pit lane at certain circuits.

Early reviews of the film are good, although some drivers have voiced concerns about the 'Hollywood' feel of the new release.

When will the F1 movie be released?

The 2025 grid (aside from Max Verstappen) have already been treated to their own private viewing of the movie, and the first critics' reviews of the blockbuster have already begun to roll in, but when can you go and watch it?

The new film is set for international release on Wednesday, June 25, which is when it will hit UK cinemas. The long-awaited spectacle will then be released on June 27 in North America.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Brad Pitt