I Can’t Sleep - F1 the Movie | Calming Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: July 25, 2025

Drift off with this calm bedtime reading designed to ease insomnia and restless nights. Tonight’s gentle sleep story explores F1: The Movie, the 2025 racing drama starring Brad Pitt, brought to life in soothing narration. Learn about the film’s creation, its authentic Formula One filming, and the talented cast, all while relaxing into Benjamin’s steady, peaceful cadence. There’s no whispering or hypnosis here—just a fact-filled, tranquil reading perfect for stress relief and better sleep. Press play, close your eyes, and let the story carry you toward rest. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on F1 (Film), available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia - F1 (Film) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch.

I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause. With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, and become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, where I help you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster, and today's episode is about F1, the film. F-1, marketed as F-1 the movie, is a 2025 American sports drama film starring Brad Pitt as a racing driver,

who returns to Formula 1 F1 after a 30-year absence to save his former teammates' underdog team, APXGP, from collapse. Damson Idris, Carrie Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bartum also star. The film was directed by Joseph Kaczynski from a screenplay by Aaron Kruger and a story written by the two. Development of the film began in December 2021, with Pitt, Kaczynski, Kruger, M-producer, M-producer, Jerry, Bruckheimer, attached to the project. The latter three had previously worked together on Top Gun Maverick 2022. Supporting cast members were revealed in early 2023, prior to the start of principal photography at Silverstone that July.

Filming also took place during Grand Prix weekends of the 2023 and 2024 World Championships, with the collaboration of the FIA, the governing body of F1, racing sequences were adapted from the real-life races, with F-1 teams and drivers appearing throughout, including Lewis Hamilton, who was also a producer. On Zimmer composed the film's score, while numerous artists contributed to its soundtrack. F-1 premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City

on June 16, 2025, and was released in the United States, by Warner Brothers Pictures on June 27th. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $393.93.4 million worldwide against a $200 to $300 million budget, becoming the ninth highest grossing film of 2025. Let's talk about the plot.

An aging American racing driver and former Formula 1 F1 prodigy, Sunny Hayes, lives nomadically as a racer for hire. Although he raced for Lotus in the 1990s, severe injuries from a crash at the Spanish Grand Prix in 1993 ended his F-1 career. He subsequently became a gambling addict and lost three marriages. After winning the 24 hours of Daytona,

his former Lotus teammate Ruben Cervantes, who owns the APXGP F1 team, offers him a test drive to fill their spare seed. Ruben discloses that his investors will sell the team unless APXGP last in the World Constructors' Championship wins one of the nine remaining Grands Prix that year. Sunny reluctantly agrees after Ruben tells him victory will make him the best in the world.

At the Silverstone test, Sunny meets team principal Kaspor Smolensky, technical director Kate McKenna, an ambitious British rookie Joshua Pierce, who reveals seven drivers turned down the opportunity. Joshua remains arrogant, yet worries the potential sale will result in his replacement, believing it must trounce his teammates to impress the investors. During his test, Sunny's struggles with modern F1 machinery, but immediately identifies APXGP's weaknesses. He pushes the limit and crashes, but Caspar recognizes his skill and signs him. Sunny returns at the British Grand Prix, where slow pit stops demote the APXGP drivers to last after a promising start. Sonny ignores team orders to let Joshua buy, and they collide.

In Hungary, Sunny mends his relationship with Joshua by exploiting F1 rules. By colliding with other drivers to force safety cars, he helps Joshua catch the midfield and score APXGP's maiden points finish. Joshua adopts Sunny's old-school training methods, while Sunny emulates his simulator work and persuades Kate to redesign the car for combat. During the rain-affected Italian Grand Prix, Sunny encourages Joshua to remain on slick tires, which risks aqua-planning but vaults Joshua to second.

Joshua ignores Sunny's advice to wait for a straight before attempting to overtake Max Verstappen. He hits a curb at Curva Parra. and his car is engulfed in flames after flying over the barrier. Joshua was rescued from the fire by Sunny and misses the next three races due to injury, while Sunny claims consistent points. Blaming Sunny for his crash, Joshua resolves to defeat him when he returns. In his comeback race, the Belgian Grand Prix, Joshua's aggressive driving causes a collision with Sonny, forcing him out of the race and infuriating him. Kate arranges a poker game where the winner gets favorable treatment at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Joshua wins, but after he leaves,

Sonny reveals he intentionally folded with a winning hand. Ruben lets them know an anonymous tip claimed Kate manufactured upgrades illegally. Kate denies wrongdoing. but the FIA demand the upgrades removal. During the race, Sunny gets road rage and crashes. As Sunny recovers, Ruben learns his 1993 injuries permanently impaired him and fires him for his safety. Board member Peter Banning reveals to Sunny that he orchestrated his signing and the complaint so he could fire Ruben and sell APXGP,

offering to promote him to team principal if the sale goes through. Before the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Joshua commits to being more responsible and disciplined, admitting his crash was not Sunday's fault. Sunny persuades Ruben into letting him race and declines Peter's offer. The Fia exonerates Kate, allowing APXGP to restore her upgrades. During the race, Joshua takes the lead by remaining on worn tires, but is overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclair. An opportune red flag is shown after a struggling Sunny in force collides with George Russell,

allowing both APXGP drivers to restart on fresher tires. After passing Charles, Sunny sacrifices his chance at victory by forcing Lewis to block his overtake instead of Joshua's. However, Lewis and Joshua collide on the final lap, clearing the way for Sunny's maiden victory and blocking the sail. The APXGP team celebrates their victory, with Ruben joining Sunny on the podium, exclaiming, we are the best in the world.

Toto Wolf offers Joshua a seed at Mercedes, but Joshua declines. Sunny and Kate. confirm their relationship. Joshua congratulates Sonny, who returns to his nomadic lifestyle, competing in the Baja 1000. Main cast. Brad Pitt as Sunny Hayes, a nomadic racer for hire, and former 1990s Formula One driver for Lotus, who returns to F1 with APXGP. Damson Idris as Joshua Pierce, a hot shot rookie. who drives for APXGP, becoming Sunny's teammate and main rival.

Carrie Condon as Kate McKenna, the APXGP technical director, and Sunny's love interest. Javier Bardem as Ruben Cervantes, the APXGP team owner, and Sunny's friend and former Lotus teammate. Tobias Menzies has Peter Banning, an APXGP board member. Kim Bodnia as Casper Smolensky, the APXGP Team Principal. Sarah Niles as Bernadette Pierce, Joshua's mother. Will Merrick as Hugh Nickleby, Sunny's APXGP race engineer. Joseph Balderama as Rico Fazio, Joshua's APXGP race engineer.

Abdul Salas as Dodge Dowda. The APXGP Chief Mechanic Callie Cook as Jody, an APXGP pit stop tire gunner. Samson Cahoe as Cashman, Joshua's cousin and manager. Simon Coons as Don Cavendish, a broadcaster during the F-1 races that Sunny participated. Liz Kingsman as Lisbeth Bampton, the APXGP PR agent. Luciano Bacetta as Luca Cortez, the APXGP Reserve Driver. Shea Wiggum as Chip Hart, owner of Chip Hart Racing, for whom Sunny drives the 24 hours of Daytona.

Kyle Rankin as Kale Kelso, one of Sunny's teammates for Chip Hart, racing in the 24 hours of Daytona. Simone Ashley was cast in an undisclosed role, but her appearance was cut on. only a cameo credited as herself. Additionally, Craig Dolby and Duncan Tabby acted as stunt drivers alongside Bacchetta. The film is based on the 2023 Formula One season and was filmed during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. As a result, many Formula One drivers and personnel appear in the film as themselves, with the teams and achievements they had at the time.

The drivers are as follows. Alexander Albin of Thailand, driver for Williams. Fernando Alonso, two-time world drivers champion of Spain, driver for Aston Martin. Oliver Bierman of the United Kingdom, driver for Ferrari and Haas. Valtari Botas of Finland, driver for Alpha Romeo. Franco Colapinto of Argentina,

driver for Williams Nick DeVries of the Netherlands driver for Alpha Tauri Jack Duhin of Australia driver for alpine Pierre Gazley of France driver for alpine Joe Guan Yu of China

driver for Alpha Romeo Lewis Hamilton seven time world drivers champion of the United Kingdom driver for Mercedes Nico Heokenberg of Germany, driver for Haas Liam Lawson of New Zealand, driver for Alpha Tauri Charles Leclair of Monaco, driver for Ferrari Kevin Magnuson of Denmark, driver for Haas

Landon Norris of the United Kingdom, driver for McLaren Esteban Okan of France, driver for Alpine Sergio Perez of Mexico Driver for Red Bull Racing Oscar Piaastri of Australia driver for McLaren Daniel Ricardo of Australia driver for Alpha Tauri

George Russell of the United Kingdom driver for Mercedes Carlos Sines Jr. of Spain driver for Ferrari Logan Sargent of the United States driver for Williams Lance Stroll of Canada driver for Aston Martin

Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driver for Alpha Tari Max for Stappan two-time world drivers champion at the time of filming of the Netherlands driver for Red Bull Racing Formula 1 personnel that appear in the film include

Stephano Dominicali CEO of the Formula One group Zach Brown CEO of McLaren Christian Horner Team Principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing Gunther Steiner

Team Principal of Haas Lawrence Stroll owner and chairman of Aston Martin and father of Lance Stroll Frederick Vassar Team Principal of Ferrari James Vowels

Team Principal of Williams, Toto Wolf, Team Principal, CEO, and co-owner of Mercedes. Sky Sports F1 commentators Martin Brundel and David Croft provide commentary for races depicted in the film. Lee Diffey provides commentary for the 24 hours of Daytona scene. Cameo appearance include Porsche factory driver Patrick Long as Sunny's other teammate at the 24 hours of Daytona race. Motorsport presenter Will Buxton and Dutch DJ Tiesto. Joseph Kaczynski directed the film,

reuniting with Top Gun Maverick producer Jerry Breckheimer and writer Aaron Kruger. Seven-time World Drivers Champion Louis Hamilton was a producer. On December 3, 2021, a Biddy Moore commenced for an untitled film starring Bradford. Pitt, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Joseph Kaczynski, and screenwriter Aaron Kruger, who previously worked on Top Gun Maverick 2022, on board in their respective roles. Sources said F-1 driver Lewis Hamilton was also involved in the film.

Studios involved in the bidding were Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures, and streaming platforms Netflix, Apple, and Amazon. Pitt was paid $30 million for his involvement. In November 2022, Claudio Miranda announced he would be the film's cinematographer. In April 2023, Damson Idris was hired after a lengthy casting process, which included a short list of actors driving the car in January 2023. Carrie Condon and Tobias Menzies would join the cast in the following months. Sarah Niles and Simone Ashley also joined the cast.

However, in June 2025, Kaczynski revealed that Ashley's role had been cut from the film. On July 5, 2024, the title F1 was announced. A teaser trailer premiered before the 2024 British Grand Prix. Kruger received sole credit for the film's screenplay, along with story credit with Kaczynski. Jez Butterworth, Kara Smith, Aaron Sorkin, and Christopher Storer earned off-screen additional literary material credit. In May 2024, Puck's Matthew Bologna reported the film's budget to be $300 million. dollars.

Brookheimer and Gazzinski disputed the claim. The former cited rebates and sponsorships as lowering the budget, and the latter said, I've never had an experience where they were off by this much on a film. I'm not sure where that number came from. In 2025, ahead of the film's theatrical release, some industry sources reported the film's budget to be $200 million. The weather still claimed the $300 million figure.

Prior to filming, Pitt and Idris tested Formula 3 and Formula 2 cars at Paul Ricard in France. The DeLara F2 2018 was stretched, widened, and modified with a Formula 1 aerodynamic package, created by Mercedes Applied Science, and run by Carlin Motorsport. Six visually identical chassis were created in total. some powered by the Mechachicrome V634, some by GP3 V6 engines, and one by an electric motor, which was used to prevent overheating for shots in the pit lane. Another six remote-controlled chassis were used to film crashes. In July 2023, principal photography began at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom,

including filming during the British Grand Prix weekend between July 7th and 9th, outside of the official F1 sessions. The APXGP team had its own garage and motor home during the weekend, and their car was kept on display alongside other F1 cars during the mandatory show and tell session before the track action. Pitt was present with the actual drivers at the driver's briefing, and he and Idris stood alongside the drivers during the national anthem before the race. Their two cars were placed at the back of the grid with stunt drivers driving a part of the formation lab.

Apple designed a custom onboard camera for the car based on iPhone and powered by its A-series system on a chip. The camera technology used for the fast-paced shots had evolved since Top Gun Maverick. With help from Sony, the cameras were shrunk to about a quarter of a size of those from Maverick, such that up to four cameras could be set up on the cars at a time, was minimal effect to wait. The camera bodies and RF transmitters were stashed in the floor of the cars. Panavision also designed a special remote control that allowed the cameras on the cars to create panning movements. At the 2024, 24 hours of Daytona, the number 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 9-11 GT3R competed with a livery of the fictional chip heart racing team from the film, with multiple replicas of it and the number 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 used for filming. A camera-mounted Lola B2K-10 was used as a filming car for high-speed shots.

The filming cars struggled to keep up with the modified F-2 cars, and by the time filming had shifted to Hungary, the car lost oil pressure and had a pump failure, which led to it being scrapped and replaced by one of the GP3-engine APX-GP cars. The APX-GP headquarters scenes were filmed, at the McLaren Technology Center, while Williams provided its wind tunnel for some shots, and the racing simulator scenes were filmed at the Mercedes headquarters in Brackley. Speaking with former F-1 driver and Sky Sports F-1 pundit Martin Brundel at the 2023 British Grand Prix,

Pitt confirmed Javier Bartum would star. Later that month, ESPN reported that the film was titled Apex. but it later retracted this statement. The week after filming had started at the British Grand Prix, the sag after a strike began, resulting in the lead actors not being available, and a reduced crew consisting of only equity actors sent to races from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.

Filming was then forced to continue through the 2024 season to make up for the lost races. During the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, Hans Zimmer announced he would be composing the score for the film, marking his second collaboration with Kaczynski after Top Gun Maverick. It is also Zimmer's second Formula One-related score following the Ron Howard directed film Rush, 2013. Zimmer co-composed the score with Steve Mazzaro,

creating what Kaczynski described as a musical identity that reflects Formula One's dual nature, a sport that straddles both the past and the present with its rich history and cutting-edge technology. Zimmer crafted a hybrid score combining orchestra and electronic music. Envisioned the orchestra as the human that sits inside the machine, while the electronics represented the machine itself. Discussions with producer and F-1 champion Lewis Hamilton helped shape Zimmer's understanding of that relationship, influencing how the music was written.

Electronic music, Zimmer noted, was also key to capturing the unpredictability of racing. With synthesizers, it's the same as in the race. You don't quite know who's going to do what next. There's always the element of surprise built in and I think that's very important in a film like this. You score for surprise. The score features guitarist Tim Henson and members of Zimmer's touring band.

This marks Zimmer's 13th collaboration with Bruckheimer, beginning with Days of Thunder 1990. Central to the score is a recurring motif for Pitt's character, Sunny Hayes, which Zimmer described as a gunslinger motif. Zimmer and Matsaro paid attention to the way the score interacts with the film's sound design and visuals. The film's soundtrack, F1, the album, was released day and date with the film's North American debut. Don Tolliver and Docha Cat released the lead single, Lose My Mind, on April 30th, 2025, followed by Rose's Messy on May 8th,

Mike Towers's Baja California on May 23rd, Tate McCrae's Just Keep Watching on May 30th, and Ed Sheeran's Drive on June 20th. Ryan Tuddob was the VFX supervisor, and Fram Store provided post-production services on the film, citing involvement from their studios in Montreal, London, and Mumbai. Tud Hope returned to collaborate with director Joseph Kaczynski, leveraging techniques they used on Top Gun Maverick

to re-skin jets to replace F-1 cars, captured during Real Grands Prix, with the fictional black and gold APXGP cars. The film was marketed as F-1, The Movie. Two trailers for the film were released, the first on July 7th, 2024, ahead of the 2024 British Grand Prix. A television spot on February 9, 2025 during Super Bowl 59,

and a second trailer on March 13, 2025, shortly prior to the commencement of the Australian Grand Prix. On June 11, 2025, Apple released a haptic trailer for the film. When played on a supported iPhone, the Taptic engine pulses and vibrational. so long with the action on screen. Sponsorships from various brands featured in the film brought in at least $40 million, according to Forbes' estimates.

Many of the brands were featured on the APXGP cars and closing as team sponsors, such as Expensify, Geico, Shark Ninja, MSC cruises, and EA Sports. Other sponsors that featured on the cars, such as IWC, Schaffhausen, released watches themed on APXGP's black and gold colors. Tommy Hilfiger launched a line of clothing, and Mercedes AMG revealed a limited APXG edition Mercedes AMG GT63.

The F125 game by EA Sports featured the APXG delivery, as it appears in the film alongside scenario. that players can undertake. Peake and Geico were sponsors of the fictional Chip Hart Racing Team from the 24 hours of Daytona scenes. Apple's 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC Keynote, began with Craig Federici driving the APXGP car on the roof of Apple Park. At the 2025 24 hours of Lamont,

the number 90 Monte Racing Porsche 9-11, Gt 3R, ran a livery similar to the one used for filming at the 2024-24 hours of Daytona. At the 2025, saw in six hours of the Glen the following weekend. The same number 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 9-11 GT3R used for filming in 2024, ran the race with the livery from the film. The drivers, crew, and IMSA personnel were all. also given a private screening. On June 20th, 2025, Hot Wheels announced the release of a 1 to 64 scale die cast model of the number 7 APXGP car driven by Brad Pitt's character in the film. In certain Latin

American countries, McDonald's launched a special combo in partnership with F1, where customers have the option to pay extra to get a 1 to 43 scale APXGP. or McDonald's liveryed model car. Some McDonald's outlets in Sao Paulo also had full-size F-1 cars on display. In June 2022, Apple acquired distribution rights in a package deal, worth $130 to $140 million, before above-the-line compensation. In June 2024, Warner Brothers Pictures acquired the theatrical, home entertainment, and digital purchase distribution rights from Apple.

Apple retains SVOD rights, and the film will become available on Apple TV Plus at a later date. The film had an early IMAX screening on June 23, 2025. The film was released in the IMAX format internationally on June 25, 2025, and was released domestically on June 27, 2025. A private screening was held in Monaco during the Cannes Film Festival for the drivers of the 2025 F-1 season.

The film had its world premiere on June 16, 2025, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with a cast in 2025 F-1 drivers in attendance. The European premiere was held on June 23rd at Empire Leicester Square in London. A guitar airway's flight from Montreal at New York was chartered for the F1 drivers and team principals to attend the premiere following the Canadian Grand Prix.