Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Joseph Kosinski, ‘F1’ tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One prodigy coming out of retirement to join hands with a budding talent named Joshua Pearce. While markedly different as individuals, together they have a shared desire to earn the top spot in Formula One, the most celebrated racing event in the world. The two represent APXGP, a company that is desperate to make its presence felt. Pronounced Apex GP, the team grows alongside Sonny and Joshua, constantly improving itself while also finding a balance between many conflicting elements. APXGP is not alone in its pursuit of greatness, as the company is always surrounded by competitors ready to match or even surpass it. As such, the protagonists have an important job at hand, to not just win for themselves, but for their racing team.
APXGP is a Fictional Team Brought to Life With The Creation of Real Racing Cars
While APXGP is a fictional Formula One team created by co-writers Ehren Kruger and Joseph Kosinski, it has a firm basis in reality in the form of its actual racing cars, which were created from scratch to add a layer of authenticity to what is being portrayed on screen. Reportedly, GK Evolution, a company dedicated to creating cars for the movies and television, was tasked with building cars for the fictitious APXGP. In an interview with Formula 1, the creator of GK Evolution, Graham Kelly, spoke about the process, stating, “At this point, we had no cast, no real concept, a couple of ideas. But one of the conversations that happened without me was with Lewis Hamilton, who introduced Joe to (Mercedes Team Principal) Toto Wolff – and there was a kind of frisson of ideas that came out of that. And the idea was to build the cars.”
Kelly further explained that APXGP cars were created in collaboration with Mercedes’ Applied Science division, which constructed an F1-style bodywork, which was then attached to a Formula 2 chassis. To adjust the vehicle to the standard F1 dimensions, special spacers were added to increase the width. To top it off, the cars were then fitted with real motorsport-grade engines, which made them road-ready. As a company’s car is the most important element in Formula One, this creative effort breathed life into APXGP, and the team decided to push even further, filming sequences in real-life racing tournaments. To that end, the vehicles were placed right in the heart of the 2024 British Grand Prix and taped in motion during the formation laps of the event.
The Team Behind F1 Made Use of Real Grand Prix Racing Events
To add to the realism surrounding APXGP, the crew also ensured that the fictional company had its own motorhome in the F1 paddocks. This, coupled with real-life figures from the racing industry participating in the film, contributed to a strong sense of immersion. Reportedly, CGI was used to insert the APXGP cars into real-life footage of Grand Prix races from the 2023 season. Shooting continued in 2024 with the custom-made vehicles lining up for the race once again. While APXGP was not a real participant in the race, the creative team went above and beyond to create the desired effect. This included the presence of actor Javier Bardem, who plays the role of Ruben Cervantes, the owner of APXGP, standing on site and embodying his character.
APXGP received an additional touch of realism with its portrayal outside of the racecourse. Special emphasis was placed on seamlessly communicating its scale on screen, with the real-life McLaren Automotive Headquarters doubling as the fictional company located in the town of Woking, in Surrey, England. This added to the parallels between McLaren and APXGP, which exist in large part due to the company’s collaboration with the crew for ‘F1.’ While conversing with Formula 1, Brad Pitt expressed his feelings about the project and how the industry’s involvement was key in making it a success. He stated, “We shot in the sim at Mercedes. We shot at Williams. McLaren is our headquarters. Everyone opened the doors for us, and in such an amazing way.” In this way, APXGP became one of the central pillars of the narrative, letting the characters and their arcs shine through.
Read More: Is Sonny Hayes Based on a Real F1 Racer?
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