Motorsport fans are a big part of F1 film, says Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt says being at a real grand prix was a 'high'. Photo / Getty Images

Brad Pitt craved the approval of motorsport fans while filming F1.

The 61-year-old actor plays a Formula One driver in the new racing film, and Brad admits that having the support of sports fans means “everything” to him.

“If we didn’t pass their bar, then we were dead, you know?” he said.

“And to get that kind of, I don’t know, response means a lot to us, because we have, again, so much respect for these drivers, for this sport, for everyone, the teams, everything they put into it. They made the movie too. They’re a big part of the film.”

Pitt was always confident that the Joseph Kosinski-directed film would win over the sceptics.

He explained: “I felt pretty confident in what we have.

“You know, I feel like we successfully thread this needle that’s for longtime fans that really understand the sport as well as newcomers, and they understood that was our goal, and, I don’t know, I think they had fun too. I think it’s just fun. It’s really good fun.”

Pitt shot some scenes at the Silverstone racing circuit in the UK and the Hollywood icon admitted to feeling anxious when he walked on the track at the British Grand Prix.

“We had been, like, rehearsing there for a few weeks, so it kind of felt like it was home.

“But then when the whole race movement comes in it’s such a juggernaut of a machine. It is really awe-inspiring, and then to get on the track with 100,000 fans, I was a little bit nervous.

“Actually, no, it was a high.”

Pitt admits that F1 has helped to reinvigorate him.

He said: “Doing this this long and to find something that was almost like starting over, it was so full of passion and it gave me a feeling like I’ve never had before. It was just sublime.

“I’m pretty grateful for Joe Kosinski for coming up with this.”