‘F1’: Lewis Hamilton Talks Driving with Brad Pitt & Doing More Acting (Exclusive)

F1 racing superstar Lewis Hamilton played a crucial role in the making of “F1” as a co-producer on the movie, and he was on hand for the NYC mega-premiere. 

“I love how it all came out,” Hamilton said. “It's been like four years we've been working on it, so it's been a long. long road. I’ve never been a part creating a movie from the first treatment to working on the script to working on the characters to watching all the different videotapes of the actors doing their scenes… We really brought on the best casts. The cast has been incredible… The crew in the background who made this movie what it is today, I'm so grateful to them.”

Lewis also said it was “super fun” seeing Brad Pitt on the grid, and recalled the first time he took him out. 

“I got to take Brad out for the first time a couple years ago on a track and then I said, ‘Show me what you can do.’ And he took me out on a lap and straight away I could see he was already a bit of a racing driver… I wasn’t scared for him.”

Damson Idris was another story!

“Damson,” Hamilton said, “I was a little bit scared, because I don't think Damson grew up watching... like, Black families don't grow up watching racing… I think he probably was thrown in the deep end, but he did such an amazing job.”

Does Hamilton want to get into acting in the future?

He said, “I don't know. I've really loved doing the production in the background on this one but, you know, never say never.”

Days earlier, Mona chatted with Damson and Kerry Condon at the “F1” junket.

Damson said he got to pick Hamilton’s brain, revealing he “called BS” on some sequences and provided a lot of encouragement on set. Watch!