Brad Pitt’s F1 epic has the engine warm for a sequel — and Apple’s not exactly hiding it
Apple boss Tim Cook says the studio is already talking about a follow-up to F1: The Movie, the Brad Pitt-fronted blockbuster that tore through the summer box office and turned the fictional APXGP outfit into the paddock’s unofficial 11th team.
“It’s definitely something that’s being talked about,” Cook told Variety, as widely reported. “It’s been such a huge summer blockbuster for us. We’re so proud of it… Brad did such a wonderful job.”
That chimes with what director Joseph Kosinski has been hinting at. The Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker said he and his team are “in that stage of dreaming up” the “next chapter for Sonny Hayes and APXGP,” a clear nod to where Pitt’s grizzled racer might point his visor next.
Co-produced by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton — who kept the film honest with the details — the movie blurred the lines between cinema and sport. APXGP’s garage was built among the real teams, the cars were filmed on track at actual Grands Prix, and the story leaned into the stakes: Pitt’s Hayes returns from the wilderness to drag a struggling outfit back to relevance, partnering with rising talent Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). It sounds simple. It played big. In fact, it delivered the most successful launch of Pitt’s career.
With the film set to land on Apple TV on December 12, momentum isn’t exactly fading. And the star is all-in.
“I had the time of my life,” Pitt said on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “I’ve got to figure out a sequel [laughs]… Even if I’ve aged out, I’d love to see a sequel.”
You can see why the idea’s got traction. F1: The Movie didn’t just capture the speed and theatre — it captured the texture of the sport: the anxious quiet at the back of the grid, the politics inside a cramped motorhome, the hundred-yard stare of a driver waiting for a green light. It also helped that the film never treated the sport like a museum piece. It put it in motion, in noise, and in the middle of a live championship weekend.
There’s no word yet on what a second film might tackle, and the principals aren’t giving away anything beyond the fact they want to go again. But APXGP’s arc is ripe for it. Do they claw their way into the points on merit? Does Pearce become the leader he promises to be? Does Hayes finally put the helmet on the shelf? Or does racing — as it tends to — make that decision for him?
Kosinski sounded keen to return to the trenches: “Based on the reaction from around the world, it’s something people want to see, and I’d be happy to go back and do it because we had so much fun making this one.”
The first film’s authenticity was helped by Hamilton’s involvement, and you’d expect the seven-time champ’s influence to remain central if Apple pushes the button on another. It’s rare to get a paddock sign-off at this level, rarer still to have it feel integrated rather than intrusive. Credit to the production for threading that needle.
For now, the red carpet gives way to the couch. Apple will roll F1: The Movie onto its service just as the sport winds down for the winter, an ideal window for a second lap around the hype cycle. If the streaming numbers echo the box office, the sequel talk could move from “we’re dreaming” to “we’re shooting” very quickly.
One thing’s clear: the sport hasn’t looked this Hollywood in years. And if Sonny Hayes fires up the APXGP again, don’t be surprised if the real grid makes a little room, just like last time. That’s the trick this film pulled off — it felt like racing. Not a museum tour, not a glossy brochure. Racing. And that’s the sort of story people queue to see twice.
