Sports
Brad Pitt’s F1 movie: Producers talk wrapping filming in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton’s role
To finish fifth and still stand on the Formula One podium made for an unusual end to George Russell’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
On the other side of the rostrum was Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver who had already been on the podium on Sunday evening after recovering from 19th on the grid to finish third behind Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.
In between Russell and Leclerc in his white and black race suit was Sonny Hayes, the veteran racer from APXGP.
Hayes is the fictional character played by Brad Pitt in “F1,” the movie produced by Warner Bros. and Apple that has embedded itself within the F1 world for the past two seasons. APXGP, Pitt’s fictional team owned by Javier Bardem’s character, has received a full garage setup at races and lined its Mercedes-designed cars up on the starting grid, so committed has the sport been to making this the most realistic racing film ever.
On Sunday after the race in Abu Dhabi, a second podium ceremony was staged to capture some scenes, all in front of fans who had been told to stay in their seats after the race for a chance to be caught in the movie.
Abu Dhabi marked the end of on-site filming for “F1.” Due for release on June 27 in North America and June 25 in the rest of the world next year, the project is steadily nearing completion.
“We’ll stay here for the rest of the week doing pick-ups, and then we’re in the editing room,” Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of “F1,” said on Sunday in a select media roundtable including The Athletic. “About two-thirds of the movie is already cut. This will be the last race that we have (to) cut this together, and we’ll take a look at it.”
The immersion within the F1 world has given Bruckheimer and director Joe Kosinski, who worked together on “Top Gun: Maverick,” the perfect opportunity to make it as close to real life as possible. A teaser trailer debuted ahead of the British Grand Prix in July, featuring a number of the current drivers and team principals and giving a taste of what the in-car footage might look like. Similar to the fighter jets in “Top Gun: Maverick,” a lot of the footage in “F1” tries to give the audience as close an experience as possible to driving an F1 car.
Brad Pitt’s character speaks with Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi GP. (Pro Shots/Sipa USA)
Input from the drivers — particularly Lewis Hamilton, who is a producer on the film — was crucial, said Bruckheimer.
“They were very open about their experiences, what they went through getting to F1, (even their) superstitions,” Bruckheimer explained. “We took little things that one driver did about this superstition, and Brad has that in his character.
“Lewis keeps us honest. Lewis looks at every race and goes, ‘You wouldn’t be in second gear in this turn, you would be in first.’ He comes in there, and he can hear the engine and the shifting and everything like that.”
“One of the big things that we’re doing as part of this is that we wanted the racing to be real,” added Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services. “Lewis has helped tremendously. It’s always about the story because that’s what it is, but we wanted the racing scenes to really be legit and be the real thing, and I think that’s what we’ve captured. Lewis has been great about that.”
Pitt and Damson Idris, who plays Hayes’ young teammate Joshua Pearce, went through extensive training and testing to pilot the APXGP cars used in the movie, which are bulked-up versions of F2 cars. Pitt and Idris were on-site in Abu Dhabi for the last round of at-race filming and even photobombed some of the teams’ end-of-year photos in the pit lane on Thursday. The paddock has embraced the project of filming within a living, breathing sporting environment.
One consequence of operating during a grand prix weekend, particularly in front of fans, is that clips of filming taking place have inevitably made their way online. Scenes such as the podium in Abu Dhabi or Pitt’s celebrations with the Mexican flag in front of the Foro Sol stadium section in Mexico have already surfaced. But both Bruckheimer and Cue were comfortable that nothing had emerged that would give away details central to the plot.
“If you’re on the set of a movie, and you get a clip of it, you would have no idea what the hell is going on,” Cue said. “It’s not like it’s shot in sequence, right? These little things… I saw this thing on YouTube of Brad fainting in Vegas or whatever, but you have no idea what the context of that is or before. I actually think all of it helps.”
The nature of that scene in particular, where Pitt ‘fainted’ onto a crash mat on the main straight in Las Vegas last month, was not something Cue felt had pushed the dramatic element of the movie too far.
“I saw a guy walk out of a fire in real Formula One,” he said, referring to Romain Grosjean’s 2020 crash in Bahrain. “I think passing out is pretty real.” Be it for crash sequences or even the on-track scenes, the producers said everything in “F1” took inspiration or reference from moments through the sport’s history.
“A lot of the incidents in the movie are taken from real events,” Bruckheimer said. “Everything that Brad does on the track, the little tricks that he does, drivers have done through the decades in various races. Because he doesn’t have the fastest car and he’s not the fastest driver. He has to use clever tactics to stay up with these other drivers.”
Brad Pitt, playing Sonny Hayes, greets Damson Idris, playing Joshua Pearce, after the Abu Dhabi GP. (Sipa USA)
The conclusion of on-site filming in Abu Dhabi was later than planned after last year’s actors and writers’ strike in Hollywood put things on hold. But Bruckheimer said there was never a moment when the project looked to be in jeopardy.
“We’re very fortunate because we had a whole section of the second unit photography that we hired, the second unit director,” he said. “So when both strikes hit, we didn’t need the writers. We didn’t need the actors. Joe Kosinski, who is our director, shot all of the second unit during the strike. So when we came back, we just had to shoot the actors. We were very fortunate that it worked out this way.”
Cue said that while it “delayed things a little bit,” there was “never any question about this,” even feeling the added time had been beneficial. “You can make an argument that having more time always helps,” Cue said. “We were able to come here twice, as an example, and we were able to film more than we would have.”
Much as Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” docuseries helped F1 reach a younger, more mainstream audience upon its debut in 2019, the sport hopes that “F1” will have the same impact. Bruckheimer thought that desire from the paddock and wider sport had led to such a collaborative effort in the past two years.
“The fans have been phenomenal, they really have,” Bruckheimer said. “They’ve embraced us and been really gracious to Brad and to the movie itself, the stuff that they’ve tweeted about the movie. They’ve realized the impact that a movie can have on a sport.
“The drivers haven’t been exposed to certain markets. I mean, these guys are rockstars, let’s face it, they’re the 20 best drivers in the world. And they’ll be exposed to not just the ‘Drive to Survive’ audience, but everybody.”
Sports
Indiana crushes Oregon to advance to first championship game in program history, stunning sports world
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The 2025 Indiana Hoosiers became the fifth team in modern college football history to go 15-0. Now they can become the first team of the modern era to ever go 16-0, and only the second of all-time, joining an 1894 Yale team that played with leather helmets.
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has left the college football world breathless with a dramatic turnaround of the Hoosiers program, going from one of the losingest teams in the Big 10 to potentially the most dominant single-season of all time.
Elijah Sarratt #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Ify Obidegwu #7 of the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Many prominent sports figures took to social media to express their amazement of Indiana’s unprecedented dominance during and after their win over Oregon. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun also chimed in.
Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes, improving his case to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Kaelon Black ran for two touchdowns to lead the Indiana running game.
INDIANA WINS FIRST OUTRIGHT BIG 10 FOOTBALL TITLE SINCE 1945 AFTER OHIO STATE FLUBS SHORT FIELD GOAL TRY
Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Aaron Flowers #21 of the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Oregon (13-2, No. 5 CFP) was doomed by the three first-half turnovers while also being short-handed by the absence of two of their top running backs.
Indiana’s defense didn’t wait long to make an impact. On Oregon’s first snap, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Moore’s pass intended for Malik Benson and returned the pick 25 yards for a touchdown. Only 11 seconds into the game, the Hoosiers and their defense already had made a statement this would be a long night for Moore and the Oregon offense.
Moore’s 19-yard scoring pass to tight end Jamari Johnson tied the game. The remainder of the half belonged to Indiana and its big-play defense.
After Mendoza’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. gave the Hoosiers the lead for good at 14-7, Indiana’s defense forced a turnover when Moore fumbled and Indiana recovered at the Oregon 3, setting up Black’s scoring run.
Moore lost a second fumble later in the second quarter when hit by Daniel Ndukwe and Mario Landino recovered at the Oregon 21. Mendoza’s first scoring pass to Sarratt gave the Hoosiers’ the 35-7 lead.
Indiana extended its lead to 42-7 on Mendoza’s 13-yard scoring pass to E.J. Williams Jr.
Oregon finally answered. A 70-yard run by Hill set up a 2-yard scoring run by Harris.
The Hoosiers led 35-7 at halftime as the Ducks were held to nine rushing yards on 17 carries. Noah Whittington, who leads Oregon with 829 rushing yards, was held out with an undisclosed injury after Jordon Davison, who had rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, already was listed as out with a collarbone injury.
Backup running backs, including Jay Harris and Dierre Hill Jr, provided too little help for quarterback Dante Moore. Moore’s task against Indiana’s stifling defense would have been daunting even with all his weapons.
Following their undefeated regular season, the Hoosiers have only gained momentum in the CFP. Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, the Hoosiers will prepare to face Miami on Jan. 19 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday night.
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Roman Hemby #1 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs out of bounds before the endzone against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Indiana will try to give the Big Ten its third straight national title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons. Few teams from any conference can compare with the Hoosiers’ season-long demonstration of balanced strong play.
The country will be watching to see if this unprecedented team can finish the job and really punch their ticket into the history books.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Before Friday’s Trinity League game at Santa Margarita, Christian Collins of St. John Bosco was dancing to music and looking so comfortable and loose that it was easy to predict he might do something special.
The 6-foot-9 All-American delivered the tying basket at the buzzer to send the game into overtime and scored the clinching basket with six seconds left in the second overtime to lift St. John Bosco to a 74-73 victory in a game that lived up to the hype while producing terrific performances from both teams.
“That really was a high-level game,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said. “They put us in positions that were really challenging and we did the same. I had so many kids play great.”
The Braves (12-4) had four players score in double figures and battled back from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter. Collins finished with 20 points. Howie Wu, St. John Bosco’s 7-foot center, scored 15 points. Point guard Gavin Dean-Moss had 15 points and Tariq Iscandari added 13 points.
Santa Margarita (19-3) received 29 points from Kaiden Bailey and 20 points from Drew Anderson.
Collins saved St. John Bosco just before the buzzer at the end of regulation, getting an offensive rebound basket to tie the score. Then, with six seconds left in the second overtime and St. John Bosco up by two points, he scored to clinch the victory. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Brayden Kyman meant nothing with a four-point deficit.
“It was really hard to get stops,” Dunn said. “We finally got some.”
After the score was tied at 10, 12, 14, 17 and 19, Santa Margarita was able to take a 36-30 lead at halftime. Anderson had 14 points by then. The Eagles started connecting from three-point range, with four threes in the second quarter. St. John Bosco continued to rely on Collins, who had 10 points but missed six shots.
Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita battles for the loose ball against St. John Bosco.
(Nick Koza)
In the third quarter, Bailey made two threes and Rodney Westmoreland made another for an eight-point Santa Margarita lead. But the Eagles’ success with threes might have been their downfall. They started to rely too much on trying to score from deep, and St. John Bosco kept fighting back.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Dunn said.
Santa Margarita, with four returning starters, was considered the Trinity League favorite. But the play of Wu and Dean-Moss helped take offensive pressure off Collins, who was effective as a passer.
“Howie was great,” Dunn said.
This season the Trinity League will be playing only one round of games and will hold a postseason tournament at Concordia University and Hope University.
After Friday night, the Braves are the team to beat.
Harvard-Westlake 80, Crespi 53: The Wolverines received 26 points from Joe Sterling and 19 points from Pierce Thompson in the Mission League win.
St. Francis 58, Bishop Alemany 45: Cherif Millogo had 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks for the Golden Knights.
Chaminade 55, Loyola 48: Temi Olafisoye contributed 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Eagles (19-2, 1-1) pick up an important road victory.
La Habra 66, Crean Lutheran 56: The Highlanders (16-5) upset Crean Lutheran in a Crestview League game.
Los Alamitos 80, Marina 60: Tyler Lopez had 21 points and Isaiah Williamson scored 16 in the victory.
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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