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Jul 5, 2024 | 8:04 AM EDT
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Caption: AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 23: Brad Pitt on the grid before the F1 United States Grand Prix held October 23, 2022 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Allan Hamilton/Icon Sportswire) AUTO: OCT 23 F1 US Grand Prix Icon221023321
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Caption: AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 23: Brad Pitt on the grid before the F1 United States Grand Prix held October 23, 2022 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Allan Hamilton/Icon Sportswire) AUTO: OCT 23 F1 US Grand Prix Icon221023321
The British GP might be the new Met Gala of the F1 world! The historic race that debuted on the Formula 1 calendar in 1950 is now back for the 75th time. Celebrities from various other sports as well as Hollywood actors have started pouring in to watch the Silverstone showdown. Before the Free Practice sessions on Friday, Brad Pitt got spotted while making his way through the paddock. The Oscar-winner was looking every bit like the Formula 1 racer he will play in his upcoming movie ‘Apex’. However, some F1 fans were not happy to see the ’12 Years a Slave’ star.
Even at 60, Brad Pitt showed off his Hollywood hunk aura as he walked by the pits at the Silverstone circuit. He sported a pair of black shades and wore his APX GP clothes. Now, APX GP is not a real Formula 1 team, but a virtual one that will appear in Pitt’s upcoming movie. The AppleTV production has Lewis Hamilton as its advisor since he contributed towards making it more realistic with his real-life F1 experiences. In the film, Brad Pitt will play the part of Sonny Hayes, an F1 recruit under the APX GP team. He also appeared at Silverstone last year to shoot some scenes for ‘Apex’.
This year’s British GP is very special for the entire ‘Apex’ team. Their movie is nearing its release date, and the cast appeared at Silverstone to shoot for a second time. But fans are not happy with Formula 1 for hyping the presence of Brad Pitt. When they saw the franchise post about Pitt on their Instagram page, they shared comments on what they cared about, instead of the Hollywood star.
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Do you think celebrity appearances like Brad Pitt's add value to F1 events?
Yes, it brings more attention
No, it distracts from the sport
Only if they are true fans
Depends on the celebrity
As the F1 circuit has traveled to Silverstone for Lando Norris, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton’s home race, every fan anticipates some action on the race track. The British GP is a huge celebration for all the followers of Formula 1 because of its underlying history. However, when Brad Pitt appeared there, some fans felt F1 was hyping the Academy Award winner for no reason.
As Brad Pitt’s Silverstone appearance ushered polarized views, a few Instagram users talked about what they wanted to see. They bashed F1 for chasing after the Hollywood hunk when, in reality, it’s the racers who are the real ‘stars’. Thus, a comment read, “How many times do I have to tell you that we DON’T care about the so-called ‘stars’.” These reactions, perhaps, are from the fans who are more used to the conventional F1 race broadcasts that used to take place during the 1990s and the early 2000s.
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Some of the followers even brought up Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media while discussing the numerous celebrity attendees at the recent Grand Prix. They said, “This is what Spaghetti Domenicali’s F1 is or Liberty Media’s F1. Where these stars are bigger than the F1 drivers.” Till 2017, British business magnate Bernie Ecclestone owned the rights to Formula 1. However, a US corporation named Liberty Media bought the franchise from Ecclestone and now, Stefano Domenicali is the F1 CEO. Under the Italian’s leadership, F1 has become commercialized, with several races being held in the US.
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When Brad Pitt’s video at the Silverstone GP reached the fans, they spotted one of Lando Norris‘ die-hard followers in the background. The kid also visited the 2023 British GP where Lando Norris met him and hugged him. Their video became so famous that the fan came to be known as ‘Little Lando’. Speaking of the child, a fan wrote, “I’m happier to see that McLaren kid that is a bigger F1 fan than this “star” will ever be.”
The British GP is going to be a massive show as Lando Norris might avenge his Austria retirement. Last weekend at the Red Bull Ring, the Belgian-British racer DNFed his race because Max Verstappen‘s maneuver led to some major damage to his MCL38. Thus, some fans mentioned they were more excited about the Silverstone race than Brad Pitt’s visit to the paddocks. They said, “Who cares, we want to see some good racing.”
via Imago
Brad Pitt Will Drive On Track At British Gp For New F1 Movie Filming File photo dated June 18, 2016 of US actor Brad Pitt at the start of the 84th Le Mans 24hours endurance race in Le Mans, France. – Brad Pitt will play the lead role in the next film by Joseph Kosinski, director of the latest Top Gun Maverick. He will play a Formula 1 driver at the end of his career. It is in this context of the shooting of this film that he will drive a Formula 2 single-seater disguised as F1 by Mercedes on the occasion of the next British Formula 1 Grand Prix, at Silverstone on the weekend of July 9. Photo by Franck Castel/ABACAPRESS.COM Le Mans France PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxSPAxUKxUSAxBELxPOL Copyright: xCastelxFranck/ABACAx 852495_020 CastelxFranck/ABACAx 852495_020
Lastly, one of the critics of Brad Pitt’s video questioned why F1 was hyping the actor so much. In the last few races such as the Canadian GP, pictures of celebrities like popstar Halsey and rapper French Montana filled the Formula 1 Instagram page. Complaining against this ‘obsession with celebrities’, the fan asked, “And? So sick of the obsession with this celebrity. Yep, I like his [Brad Pitt’s] films but what has he got to do with an F1 social media post?” He also went on to ask who would care about celebrities when every Formula 1 follower tuned in to watch the races rather than the actors every weekend.
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Speaking of this weekend’s race, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s expected showdown is all that the F1 town can talk about. The Briton has taken a few digs at his friend after their Austrian GP clash. But now, it all boils down to whether Lando can beat his Championship rival at his home circuit. Do you think the McLaren racer can achieve this feat? Let us know in the comments below.
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