The upcoming movie F1, a fictional Hollywood blockbuster filmed in the heart of the Formula 1 paddock, will soon be hitting Dutch cinemas. For the racing scenes, lead actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris tore around the track in modified Formula 2 cars. To replicate the action of a real Grand Prix as accurately as possible, the producers turned to tire supplier Pirelli. CEO Mario Isola discusses his secret tire project for F1.
“I remember meeting them (the production team behind F1) for the first time two years ago during the winter test in Bahrain,” Isola told various media in Montreal. “They approached me with a secret project and said, ‘We need tires.’ Of course, they weren’t planning to use real Formula 1 cars for the movie, so they needed different tires — more akin to those of Formula 2, for example.”
‘As Realistic as Possible’
As the filming was done at low speeds, the filmmakers struggled to keep the tire temperatures up. “We all know that you need to drive faster to get grip with Formula 1 tires,” Isola explained. “So the first idea was to produce tires with different colors on the sidewall — white, yellow, and red — but all with the same soft compound. After all, it generates more grip. That’s how we started, but along the way, we realized that regular tires — let’s say Formula 2 tires — also worked fine,” continued the Pirelli CEO. “We provided a wide variety of solutions for different scenes. It was a great collaboration, especially because everything had to be as realistic as possible.”
The tire production proved to be crucial for the authenticity of the film, even though it also has all the characteristics of a Hollywood production, Isola confirmed. “That became clear when we went to Monaco to watch the film for the first time,” he recalled. “They said: ‘It’s a Hollywood movie. Don’t forget that — it’s not a documentary.’ But personally, I think it’s very successful. It feels real, and there’s a great story behind it. I think it’s a good way to get even more people interested in Formula 1.”
Please note that references to specific images, such as “Brad Pitt on the special Pirelli tires in Abu Dhabi (Getty Images)” have been omitted as per the instructions.
