Screenshot of F1-movie with Brad Pitt — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 driver admits he hasn't watched the F1 movie despite being the 'bad guy'

It seems the F1 movie wasn't a must-watch for everyone

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 18 January 2026 22:43

A star of the F1 movie who also competed on the grid at the time of filming has admitted he hasn't even seen the blockbuster hit.

F1 was released internationally on June 25, 2025, and the film had two premieres in London and New York before it's public summer showing.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton had a role in co-producing the project and though it was only released last year, filming began at Silverstone way back in 2023 at the British Grand Prix.

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The Apple Original film was struck down by scheduling delays thanks to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike, meaning they were still filming during the real 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Many of the scenes were filmed at F1 circuits across the 2023 and 2024 calendars, with the film crew on location for actual grand prix weekends to secure realistic racing footage.

This also meant that the drivers on the 2023 and 2024 F1 grid also featured in the film, but due to the brutal nature of driver replacements, many no longer competed in F1 by the time the movie was finally released.

One such star was Kevin Magnussen, the ex-Haas driver who earned a bit of a bad boy reputation both on and off screen.

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Magnussen left F1 following the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP after Haas opted not to renew his contract, instead signing a brand new driver duo for 2025.

The Danish racer instead set his sights on sportscar racing, joining BMW as a factory driver to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship for WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for RLL.

K-Mag is returning to race with BMW in both WEC and IMSA this year, and during a recent media session for the American SportsCar Championship, the 33-year-old was asked what he made of his portrayal in the F1 movie.

Much like in real life, Magnussen is often caught up in on-track battles in F1 and is shown as one of the drivers who consistently makes contact with the film's APXGP protagonist, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt).

In response to this portrayal, Magnussen issued the surprising admission that he is yet to see the F1 movie.

"I haven't watched it," he revealed, before motorsport journalist David Land suggested that perhaps it wasn't the best idea given his portrayal as the villain on track.

"Exactly yeah," Magnussen replied, before adding: "I've heard that I'm the bad guy to Brad Pitt so I think that's an honour.

"Honestly I'm honoured, I might have to watch it at some point."

Magnussen remains the most recent driver to have received a race ban in F1 after he reached the limit of 12 penalty points during the 2024 season.

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