Is F1: The Movie based on a true story?

The commercial push for the film included creating a bespoke soundtrack featuring artists like Ed Sheeran and Tate McRae, with Apple TV nabbing streaming rights to guarantee it reaches a bigger audience after its theatrical run.

In addition to appearances from personalities within Formula 1 – both the drivers who serve as its poster boys and the commentators who cover it in the media – the film was also shot on location during some of the most prestigious grand prix in the calendar.

Kosinski told RadioTimes.com that Lewis Hamilton – who serves as a producer – helped when it came to providing "little details" that helped to "really show the amount of preparation, both physically and mentally" that drivers go through ahead of each race.

This naturally lends it a degree of authenticity in terms of its depiction of the finer details of the sport.

But while the depiction of the sport itself might be true to life, is any of this based on true events? Read on for everything you need to know about the true story behind F1.

Is F1: The Movie based on a true story?

No, F1 is not based on a true story. The film is an entirely fictional tale, albeit one that is told against the very real backdrop of the sport, with attempts made to capture the reality of Formula 1 as accurately and authentically as possible.

While several of the people who feature briefly in the film – such as drivers Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc and commentator David Croft – are playing themselves, there are no real drivers called Sonny Hayes or Joshua Pierce and nor, for that matter, is there such a team as Apex.

That said, the filmmakers did reportedly use some true events as loose inspiration for the film.

Specifically, the injury suffered by Sonny before the events of the film – which had forced him to retire from Formula 1 in the first place – is rumoured to have been based on that suffered by driver Martin Donnelly in 1990, while he was in practise for the Spanish Grand Prix, according to MotorSport magazine.

But beyond that, fans shouldn't spend too much time looking for parallels between the story told here and any real tales from the world of F1 – it is largely a work of fiction, even if the backdrop is true to life.

"I have to give a lot of credit to Stefano Domenicali, who runs F1," Kosinski told RadioTimes.com during an exclusive interview ahead of the release.

"From the first meeting where Brad and Jerry and I kind of pitched the idea of this film to him, he really understood why we wanted and needed that access and what the potential was for the sport if we could manage to capture it and put it on a big screen and tell a great story inside of it.

"And then, as we met each one of the teams and team principals and drivers, they were all willing to help us out, offer us stories, personal experiences, and just were incredibly welcoming for the two seasons that we were travelling with them."

"We did an enormous amount of research about Formula 1 [and] how to tell the story correctly," added producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "We had an F1 executive working with us every day to make sure we got everything we needed.

"The fact that they let us put our garage in between Ferrari and Red Bull was kind of an indication that they were helping us to make the movie. They were really cooperative and lended their expertise to help make the movie as effective and as realistic as possible."

"But it's a fun movie," he continued. "It's not a documentary about F1, and you have to take license. Obviously, [we] condensed time. A lot of the things that happen in the movie would most probably happen over five seasons, but we condensed it into one season."

So, there you go: the film is a thrill ride that looks to capture the spirit of the sport while telling its own original story.

F1 is now showing in cinemas.

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