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
Tomas Hertl scores game-winner as Golden Knights rally to beat Hurricanes in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
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The Vegas Golden Knights have taken Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, erasing the Carolina Hurricanes’ early 2-0 lead to win a thrilling 5-4 game in Raleigh and set the tone for this best-of-seven series.
It’s a seven-game win streak for Vegas now, as they haven’t lost since Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Anaheim Ducks. They surprisingly swept the Colorado Avalanche to win the West, and they kept that momentum going on the road.
Tomas Hertl was the hero for the Golden Knights in Game 1, as he scored the game-winning goal on a snipe with 3:25 left in the third period.
Tomas Hertl of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game One of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 2, 2026. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)
But it wasn’t easy for Vegas in the first period when the Hurricanes were quick to assert their home-ice advantage just 25 seconds into the game.
It was the first shot on goal for either side when Nikolaj Ehlers poked a puck past an aggressive Shea Theodore for Vegas, and he sprinted down ice toward Carter Hart, who mans the Golden Knights’ net. Ehlers, though, had the perfect shot, ringing the post and sending the Hurricanes faithful into a frenzy with the 1-0 lead before some could even get to their seats.
DESPITE POTENTIAL RATINGS NIGHTMARE FOR NHL, VEGAS-CAROLINA STANLEY CUP FINAL STILL HAS PLENTY OF INTRIGUE
Then, midway through the period, Ehlers found himself in yet another breakaway scenario, and he didn’t squander the opportunity to take advantage. He put a nifty move on Hart, and his backhand found the net to make it 2-0.
Jalen Chatfield also had his eye down ice, recognizing that Ehlers was uncovered and quickly turned Jack Eichel’s turnover into the opportunity.
But if there’s anything the Golden Knights have proved in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s to never count them out. Another example of that was seen on Tuesday night.
Theodore made up for his mishap to start the game with an absolute rocket off his stick on a one-timer that saw its way through traffic and past Frederik Anderson in net to get Vegas on the board shortly after Ehlers’ second goal.
Then, as the second period got underway, it was Ivan Barbashev who decided to return the favor of scoring in 30 seconds or less. As Vegas entered the offensive zone with speed, the puck found Jack Eichel’s stick. He quickly spotted Ivan Barbashev cutting through the slot, and Barbashev fired a shot over Frederik Andersen’s right shoulder before the goalie could react.
Nikolaj Ehlers of the Carolina Hurricanes scores his second goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game One of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on June 2, 2026. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
With that, the Golden Knights tied this game up, but they didn’t let the momentum go. William Karlsson, who already has a cup under his belt for Vegas, did his part in seeking the next trophy. Mitch Marner had a tremendous backhand pass from behind the net that found Karlsson’s stick all alone out in front, and Anderson had no chance as Vegas took a 3-2 lead.
At that moment, the air in the Lenovo Center was taken right out of the fans’ sails, but a trusty veteran restored that later in the period. Jordan Staal, who watched his brother and 2006 Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes, Eric Staal, get the crowd going with the siren at puck drop, potted his third goal of these playoffs.
Jordan Staal snapped a wrister past Hart thanks to a heads-up play by K’Andre Miller to keep the puck onside and find his teammate fast for the grade-A chance.
The bleeding was stopped, but the third period was bound to be a thriller based on how these two teams were finding clear chances to score. Who broke the tie first was the major question, and Brett Howden had the answer just 1:21 into the period.
The playoff leader in goals, Howden had a beautiful tip on a shot by Theodore for his 11th of the playoffs and perhaps his most important in Game 1. The scoreboard remained silent for some time after that, with both teams trying to set up solid forechecks, but to no avail. The Hurricanes even had a power play, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.
William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of Game One of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on June 2, 2026. (Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Then, with 8:41 left, some puck luck found the Hurricanes, as defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere saw an offensive zone face-off biscuit fall right into his lap with no one around. He secured the puck on his stick blade and wristed it past Hart for the 4-4 tie.
However, the rollercoaster ride for the Hurricanes didn’t have a happy ending when they got off, with Hertl’s goal, assisted on a crafty Sissons’ pass following a face-off, being the final say in this one.
Game 2 of this series will be played once more in Raleigh on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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Jared Grindlinger is not ready to say goodbye to his friends at Huntington Beach High. The likely first-round draft pick didn’t have to play for the Oilers in the Southern California Division I regional playoffs, let alone pitch. But he did both to help Huntington Beach knock off San Diego Open Division champion Patrick Henry 10-3 on Tuesday.
Grindlinger went four for four, including a home run, and finished with three RBIs. He also struck out five in three innings on the mound. Dane Cunningham had a three-run home run. Huntington Beach advances to play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Corona and Chula Vista Eastlake on Thursday.
Cathedral Catholic 4, St. John Bosco 2: The impressive two-year run of St. John Bosco’s baseball team has come to an end. The Braves had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t push across any runs and were eliminated in a first-round Division I game. They won the Southern Section Division 1 title the last two seasons and the regional title last season.
La Mirada 7, Liberty 6: A three-run seventh inning helped the Matadores enjoy their bus ride home from Bakersfield. The big hit was a three-run home run by Justin Torres. La Mirada will face Cathedral Catholic on Thursday in the semifinals.
Arroyo Grande 4, Loyola 3: An RBI single in the eighth inning by Colton Gotchal pushed Arroyo Grande to victory over top-seeded Loyola in Division 2. Jack Murray had a home run and two RBIs for Loyola.
Newport Harbor 2, Madison 0: Gavin Guy threw the shutout with seven strikeouts.
South El Monte 3, Brentwood 2: South El Monte went on the road and pulled off the upset of Division 6 champion Brentwood. Anthony Mata had an RBI single and Gabriel Canchola limited the Eagles to four hits while striking out nine in six innings.
Westview 7, Carson 1: Leadoff hitter Eli Irvine had three hits for the winners.
North Torrance 2, Bell 0: Seth Narasaki and Joey Banuelos combined for the shutout.
Verdugo Hills 11, Rolling Hills Prep 2: Cutlor Fannon finished with three hits and three RBIs for the Dons.
Sports
Naomi Osaka offers uninspiring response about her mindset following French Open loss to Aryna Sabalenka
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Naomi Osaka has made a habit of making headlines with her comments inside the media center at various Grand Slam stops over the years, and this year’s French Open was no different.
The four-time Grand Slam winner lost in straight sets to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (5-7, 3-6) in the fourth round of Roland Garros, which has become a familiar situation for Osaka in her career. The 28-year-old holds a 1-3 record against the Belarusian all-time, with all three of her losses coming in 2026.
While answering questions from the media following her fourth-round exit in France, Osaka was asked if she could take any encouragement from the loss or if she feels daunted about the challenge in closing the gap between herself and Sabalenka.
Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a backhand against Aryna Sabalenka during Day Nine of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on June 1, 2026, in Paris, France. (Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
NAOMI OSAKA’S ALL-BLACK FRENCH OPEN OUTFIT RIVALS HER JELLYFISH-INSPIRED LOOK FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
The question was a bit strange, as the idea of being encouraged after a third straight loss to the same opponent would be unique, but the question wasn’t nearly as odd as the answer Osaka proceeded to give.
“I don’t know if you knew me before, but I would be very, very disappointed in myself after matches like these. But I kinda realized it doesn’t matter at all,” Osaka began.
“I’ve played her multiple times and sadly to say lost multiple times. The only thing I can keep doing is trying l my best. Maybe, hopefully, it’ll work out in my favor one day. But I can’t let myself be discouraged every time I lose to someone or win against someone. Because honestly, hitting a ball doesn’t really matter, like, on Earth, kind of.”
It doesn’t get more uninspiring than that.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus against Naomi Osaka of Japan during Day Nine of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on June 1, 2026, in Paris, France. (Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
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For a four-time Slam winner and former World No. 1 herself, Osaka admitting aloud that “hitting a ball doesn’t really matter” is shocking.
Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a backhand against Aryna Sabalenka during Day Nine of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros on June 1, 2026, in Paris, France. (Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Imagine the level of criticism an NBA superstar would receive if they said “shooting a basketball doesn’t really matter” after a loss, or an NFL quarterback suggesting “throwing a football doesn’t really matter” after a crushing defeat.
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Osaka, however, continuously gets the benefit of the doubt by many in the tennis world despite withdrawing from the 2021 French Open because the pressures of the media were apparently too much for her to handle. She also cried in the media center at Roland Garros a year ago after her first-round exit.
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