Damson Idris says new film F1 will be ‘unlike anything anyone’s ever seen’

Damson Idris has said the forthcoming Formula One film he stars in will be “unlike anything anyone’s ever seen before”.

The movie, titled F1, which has been shot at Silverstone , also features Brad Pitt , Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem, and is directed by Top Gun: Maverick film-maker Joseph Kosinski.

Pitt plays a retired driver who is called out of retirement to mentor a new young racer, played by Idris.

Idris said: “It’s unlike anything anyone’s ever seen before.“It’s a whirlwind, we’re driving cars for real.

They put me behind the wheel, and I had some driving experience - I've driven fast cars before - but it's unlike anything that we're doing right now

“I play a character called Joshua Pierce, a young rookie driver on a fictional team by the name of Apex.”

As well as appearing in the film, the 32-year-old revealed that Lewis Hamilton , who is serving as a producer, has also been advising actors on how to drive realistically.

Idris added: “There’s no better person to teach you about F1 than Lewis Hamilton .

“So, Lewis comes in and he essentially calls BS. He lets us know that ‘Hey, that wouldn’t happen’, which is a rarity in this art form.

“So to have someone who lives, breathes and sleeps Formula One, where I know their hands have been on this movie, it’s unlike anything I’ve done before.

“They put me behind the wheel, and I had some driving experience – I’ve driven fast cars before – but it’s unlike anything that we’re doing right now.”

Idris said Hamilton is an “inspiring” figure to him, and added that he feels everyone could “take a bit of Lewis’s fight into your life”.

The actor said: “Lewis beautiful Hamilton, who we all admire, who we were all inspired by, he just gave an amazing talk downstairs, which was incredibly moving for me.

“I’ll always show up for him, he doesn’t get enough praise, I think.

“Aside from being just a fantastic sportsman, he has pushed the sport in such a positive direction, he’s innovated.”

The actor, who was born in Peckham, south-east London, said filming on the grid at Silverstone, and during the race, was “amazing”.

He was joined at Sunday’s British Grand Prix, which was won by Hamilton, by Pitt, who made a rare appearance with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.

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