F1, the cutting-edge Brad Pitt filmed about Formula 1, is set for release later this year — but its impact is already being felt in the paddock.

In order to create authentic shots, the F1 crew has been looking for new innovations, and there’s one in particular that teams might implement in the future.

F1 pioneers the electric pit stop

As we edge ever closer to the late June release of F1, a racing film starting Brad Pitt and featuring ample input from Lewis Hamilton, anticipation rises. Viewers will have to wait to experience the film’s impact in theaters — but over in the F1 paddock itself, things are already changing.

See, the F1 crew has appeared at numerous race weekends in the last few years, capturing incredible footage and putting together fascinating storylines. That means anyone spending ample time in the F1 paddock has run into the actors or the film crew at some point.

It also means that those folks have had a close-up view of the technology bringing this film to life.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 at the end of the 2024 season, lead actor Brad Pitt hosted a tour of the technology, starting with the 2023 Mecachrome-built cars that are being used for filming.

“We’ve got four of these,” he said, referring to the cars.

“We’ve got a fifth one, just for looks, and then we got a sixth one that’s an electric car that we’d be using for pit stops.”

It’s that electric pit stop car that has teams intrigued.

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“It’s been interesting,” Pitt mused.

“You know, you see teams always pushing the cars in to practice. They’re talking about adopting an electric car for those kind of practices. So that’s been really cool.”

When F1 teams practice pit stops ahead of a race weekend — or even in their factories — they do so with a switched-off F1 car. Crew members push the car forward for the mechanics to practice a pit stop, then pull the car back to start the process over again.

Implementing some kind of electrification, even if it’s just adding an auxiliary battery on which the car can run specifically for pit stops, would cut down on the manpower necessary for the practice runs. It would also better simulate a pit stop, all while using clean energy.

It’s a fascinating idea — but it’s only one of the many ways F1 has begun pioneering the motorsport film world.

“Joe Kosinski, our director, his idea was: Put actors in the car, embed ourselves in the race weekends, and make the most authentic racing film to date,” Pitt told Sky Sports F1.

“And I think we’ve done it. I dare say, I think we’ve done it.”

Pitt pointed out that the Mecachrome race car is outfitted with three cameras — including a 4k camera mounted on the halo, which he notes is already challenging to see past.

The 4k halo camera, he said, “is really tricky because it blocks your [view of the] turning points.

“So, approaching, you can see right here you get a sliver and then you get an inch,” he said, illustrating the narrow gap of vision.

“When you see them down here, you get a little inch right through there. It’s sketchy. It’s sketchy.

“Even Lewis [Hamilton] looked at it and went, ‘oh, my!’

“We’re running about 300 kilograms more than F2 car, so it’s a bit more cumbersome, but I love her.”

F1 is scheduled to hist international theaters on June 25, 2025. In the US and Canada, it’ll be available beginning on June 27.

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