Brad Pitt F1 movie to be released in June next year

Brad Pitt's Formula 1 movie will be released next June, the sport's bosses have confirmed.

Filming for the movie, the name of which has yet to be revealed, was delayed amid the US actors' and writers' strike.

But F1 said the film, co-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and extensively shot at the Silverstone Circuit, will be released on 25 June next year.

Pitt, 60, will play the role of a veteran driver, Sonny Hayes, who is returning to the F1 grid after a long absence.

Pitt raced an adapted Formula Two car between practice sessions at the British Grand Prix at the Northamptonshire circuit last July.

Alongside his fictional rookie team-mate Joshua Pierce, played by British actor Damson Idris, Pitt lined up with the sport's 20 drivers prior to the race.

Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who plays the team principal, was also filming on the grid with Pitt last year.

A garage was also set up in the paddock for the "11th team", called APX GP.

It is understood that Pitt has been filming at Silverstone in recent weeks, and further scenes are expected to be shot at next month's race and throughout the remainder of the season.

Hamilton has been heavily involved in the script to make the film as authentic as possible.

"We want everyone to love it and to really feel that we encapsulate what the essence of this sport is all about," said Hamilton last year.

Apple has bought the rights to the movie with a budget said to be in the region of $140m (£125m).

Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick, is directing the film, while Jerry Bruckheimer, who also worked on the Tom Cruise blockbuster, is listed as a producer.

In a statement, F1 said: "The movie is a landmark for the sport and cinema, filmed in real-time during Grands Prix around the world and involving the Formula One community, including all 10 teams, the drivers, the FIA and race promoters."