Lewis Hamilton to the OSCARS? F1 legend's project enters Academy Award shortlist

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton's F1 movie project has been shortlisted for five awards at the 98th Oscars.

Hamilton received a production credit for his role in the F1 film which was released earlier this year, and the Brit has his own production company called Dawn Apollo films.

The movie was directed by Joseph Kosinski, while Jerry Bruckheimer was the executive producer of the blockbuster.

Brad Pitt played the lead role of Sonny Hayes in the film, and he and Hamilton struck up quite a friendship, while Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon and Damson Idris were also all in the film playing a variety of different characters.

The stars of the F1 grid, including Hamilton, also starred in the film, but it was its impressive camera shots that really wowed audiences.

Using state of the art moveable cameras attached to the cockpit of the car, they managed to really capture the tense racing moments, and Hamilton has actually suggested that F1 should use similar cameras for TV coverage in the future.

Now, F1 has been shortlisted for the cinematography category at the Academy Awards, alongside 15 other films. It has also been shortlisted for best music, best sound and best visual effects, in what could be a brilliant night for Hamilton, Bruckheimer and everyone else involved. Ed Sheeran's song 'Drive' has also been announced in the music (original song) category.

However, the shortlist is not the same as a nomination, and the nominations for each category of the 98th Oscars will be announced on January 22.

The awards themselves are then hosted on March 15 at the glamorous event at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Was the F1 movie a success?

The fact that the film has been shortlisted for five awards and performed so well at the box office suggests that it absolutely was a success.

F1 surpassed $545m (£410m) at the global box office, making it the most successful film of Pitt's career financially speaking. World War Z achieved $540m (£407m), and was previously Pitt's most successful film.

However, the film received mixed reviews from fans, pundits and the F1 drivers who starred in it.

Carlos Sainz wasn't a fan, questioning the authenticity of the storylines, while many fans pointed to the appalling representation of females in the film.

Pitt stars in the lead role of the film as aged racing driver Sonny Hayes, who in his 60s (yes, you heard that correctly) miraculously returns to the sport to race for fictional team APX GP. Considering how much Hamilton is struggling in the sport at age 40, I think it's safe to say a driver in their 60s wouldn't be much good.

There is one female character of any note in the film, played by Condon, who is introduced as F1's first ever female technical director but who then magically falls in love with her driver and becomes Pitt's love interest.

Fans criticised the movie for these reasons, but it did set a record for Apple Studios as their highest-grossing theatrical release of all time.

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