Where was F1 The Movie filmed? The APXGP team, the house, and all the locations
Posted by Ra Moon
Is F1 the ultimate Formula One film? The fictional APX GP team followed the real-world championship circus, filming in multiple countries around the globe alongside the actual competition during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
From Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, filming took place during real F1 practice runs or brief pauses in the race schedule.
Starring Brad Pitt, the actors drove themselves in customised Mercedes Formula 2 cars, upgraded with Formula 1 elements.
Welcome to our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of F1. You’ll find the locations listed in order of first appearance.
From Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, filming took place during real F1 practice runs or brief pauses in the race schedule.
Starring Brad Pitt, the actors drove themselves in customised Mercedes Formula 2 cars, upgraded with Formula 1 elements.
Welcome to our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of F1. You’ll find the locations listed in order of first appearance.
F1: The Movie locations
We are introduced to Sonny Hayes during the 24 Hours of Daytona, the legendary endurance race held since 1962 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
All the circuits seen on screen were filmed on location at the real race tracks, leaving little mystery in this part of the filming-location hunt.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The more interesting part is finding the locations outside the racing venues.
According to Time Out, the laundromat is Christina’s Coin Laundry in New Smyrna Beach, and it looks exactly as it appears on film.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Sonny and Ruben (played by Javier Bardem) stop for a snack at Pappas Drive-In and Family Restaurant, also in New Smyrna Beach.
Unfortunately, this classic diner was destroyed by a major fire in March 2024.
No injuries were reported, but the structure was so badly damaged that it was later deemed a total loss and demolished in mid-2024.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Silverstone is where the Formula One World Championship began in 1950 and plays a central role in several sequences in the film.
Built on a former RAF airfield in Northamptonshire, about 60 miles northwest of London, it remains one of the fastest and most historic venues in motorsport.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The F1 movie house
Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, lives with his mom in a modern house, filmed at the award-winning Theis and Khan architects’ office, called Bateman’s Row, in Shoreditch, London.
Completed in 2009, the six-storey building combines gallery spaces on the lower floors with offices, a family home, and apartments above.
The stepped upper floors were designed to preserve sunlight for neighbouring residences.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
APXGP F1 team headquarters
As production designer Ben Munro revealed to CN Traveller, the APX GP base of operations was filmed across three major F1 team headquarters: McLaren, Mercedes, and Williams.
The exterior is easy to recognize: the McLaren Technology Centre, located in Woking, Surrey, has also appeared in Andor and Hobbs & Shaw.
Designed by Norman Foster, its striking high-tech architecture is showcased in a stunning circular lakeside setting.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Some of the other interiors filmed at McLaren's headquarters include the gym and Ruben's office, the latter of which was shot in the complex’s canteen.
The central interior hall is the Brackley Corridor at the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team headquarters in Brackley, Northamptonshire.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
The wind tunnel scenes were filmed at Williams Racing F1 in Grove, Oxfordshire.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The picturesque pub where Sonny and Kate (played by Kerry Condon) share a conversation focused on aerodynamics, with occasional deviations, was filmed at The Globe Inn in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
As previously mentioned, the filmmakers shot the racing scenes on location during the actual national Grand Prix events at the following venues, appearing in this order: Hungaroring in Hungary, Monza in Italy, Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Suzuka in Japan, Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez in Mexico, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, The Strip in Las Vegas, and Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
However, the accident sequence at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza was actually filmed at Brands Hatch GP Circuit in Kent, about 20 miles southeast of London.
The production team launched the racing car with a ramp to create the crash, avoiding excessive use of CGI.
They also used an F1 car mounted on a rotating gimbal atop a crane, with actor Damson Idris onboard, to enhance the scene’s realism.
The elegant waiting room in the hospital is the Royal Masonic Hospital near Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith, West London.
Opened in 1933, this Grade II–listed Art Deco medical complex, which closed in the early 2000s, was also recently featured in the Jingle Bell Heist Netflix movie.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
The F1 movie in Las Vegas
The brief scene of Sonny running in Las Vegas was filmed near the Boulevard Gateway Arches, next to The Strat Hotel on the iconic Strip.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
In this scene, it appears that Sonny’s room is in the Encore Las Vegas tower, part of the Wynn Las Vegas luxury resort and casino.
Opened in 2005, nightly room rates typically start at around $260, with many suites and premium rooms costing considerably more.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
As the production was based in London, the card game scene was filmed at Langan's Brasserie in Mayfair.
In Las Vegas casinos, slots are another popular form of entertainment, with no deposit bonus often offered to minimise commitment and help players to try them out.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The nightclub scene was filmed at Caesars Palace Omnia, featuring a cameo by famous DJ Tiësto, who performs the track “OMG!” from the film’s soundtrack.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
It appears that the technical crew is staying in different locations, as Kate’s terrace is situated in The Boulevard Tower at The Cosmopolitan Hotel, overlooking the replica Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Peter (played by Tobias Menzies) intercepts Sonny on the roof of the Masquerade Self Parking Garage, with the Bellagio Hotel serving as a backdrop.
Image courtesy of Apple TV - Map
One of the final scenes was filmed at Abu Dhabi’s F1 yacht area on Yas Island, with the five-star W Abu Dhabi hotel in the background.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
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Ra Moon
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