Brad Pitt’s forthcoming F1 film is becoming the blockbuster hit that Apple TV has been looking for. The Apple original is set to debut in theaters prior to streaming online, and that’s likely the premier way to experience F1.
This isn’t a film filled with special effects, and that’s the primary reason I’m eager to see it. Director Joseph Kosinski, renowned for placing actors in actual jet fighters to shoot Top Gun: Maverick, did something comparable for this film about Formula 1 racing. He sought real footage from the cockpit while the Formula 1 cars rushed at speeds of up to 300 km/h on famous tracks globally. He chose authentic race footage over the simpler option of computer-generated races.
If you’ve tuned into Formula 1 races, you’re aware that broadcast directors frequently shift to cameras inside the cars to provide a sort of first-person perspective of the race. That technology wasn’t adequate for Kosinski. Fortunately, he had a reliable partner assisting in enhancing the quality of those Formula 1 cameras: Apple.
Indeed, Apple didn’t merely finance the F1 film; it also supplied crucial technology utilized to capture many of the scenes depicting Formula 1 drivers racing on renowned circuits.
Apple had to integrate a few vital iPhone 15 Pro components within the fins on Formula 1 cars that house the standard cameras used for live broadcasts. It also engineered new camera features that subsequently launched to the public with the iPhone 15 series.
Apple presented at WWDC 2025 regarding the advancements made to enhance the quality of footage a Formula 1 car can film, ensuring it functioned effectively for the F1 movie.
Described by Wired and various YouTubers who attended the event, Apple’s camera expertise for the F1 race is truly remarkable.
Apple essentially concealed the brains, battery, and camera of an iPhone 15 Pro within one of those small fins on a Formula 1 car to obtain professional footage. It accomplished this for multiple F1 cars, which utilized Apple’s iPhone cameras in real races during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. This indicates that Apple employed those iPhone components prior to the launch of the iPhone 15 series.
