Damson Idris’ introduction to Formula 1 began in a way familiar to most sports fans: playing the F1 video game with his brothers.
The British actor’s love for this sport did not take another step until 2018, when he attended his first race (the Hungarian Grand Prix, which Lewis Hamilton won, remember). From there he was “hooked,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Athleticand began to watch the races more frequently. Little did I know that one day I would work closely with the man at the top of the podium.
Idris continued his acting career and fandom, but four years later, Idris learned about Jerry Bruckheimer and Joseph Kosinski’s project: the eventual blockbuster “F1 The Movie.” Idris “locked in,” his passion for the sport becoming more personal and evolving through his role as rookie driver Joshua Pearce.
“Before the project, my focus was really on the drivers. I didn’t really know too much about the intricacies of the sport and how many details and how much team effort goes into each team,” Idris explained. “And after filming the movie was when I really understood that it really takes a village to achieve this, and I really found a deeper respect for the sport.
“Before (I thought) it was (just) Lewis Hamilton, and he builds the car, fixes it and takes it to the starting line. No, it’s a team effort. I really love the sport for that.”
The F1 film, which also starred Brad Pitt and was co-produced by Hamilton, topped global box office numbers and won multiple awards. On Sunday, the film is up for four Oscar nominations. It is the latest development in F1’s “trendy entertainment” era, as the pop culture movement continues to overlap with the sport. And it opened the doors for Idris to develop closer ties with F1.
Damson Idris appears in an image from his F1 2026 launch video. (Courtesy F1)
Idris becoming F1’s new global ambassador is a physical reminder of how much the pinnacle of motorsport has changed in the last six years. A bright tone rang out in Idris’s voice as he shared his journey to this moment, his sentences quickening with excitement. It’s not hard to see why F1 wanted him, given his genuine passion and status at the intersection of entertainment, fashion and culture. The first project in his new role in F1 came in the form of the “Everyone Drive” campaign video, which featured Idris and the drivers.
“The lineup is very organic, not only because I made the movie, but because, like Damson, I will always go to Formula 1 races for the rest of my life, because I love Formula 1,” Idris said. “So if I could partner with them and push the sport in a direction where people from different areas of the world can come into the sport and also be inspired, then I think it’s a job well done.
“It’s obviously huge in Europe. They’re still spreading in the United States. They’re still spreading in Africa and other regions. And I want to be part of that bridge that connects the sport to those areas.”
Idris also had to be willing to accept the role in the film. After wrapping his last big project, a TV series called “Snowfall,” Idris said he was interested in playing an athlete and that the audition process for “F1 The Movie” was like nothing he had ever experienced. They put him in several cars, such as the F3000 and the JP-LM two-seater, to evaluate his driving ability and his drift work. In “F1 The Movie,” he and Pitt did their own driving scenes, trained by professionals and former drivers.
“I let everyone know that, yes, not only was I excited, but I was mature,” Idris said, “and that’s what they were looking for, because they knew it was going to be a daunting process to get Brad and I in these cars to a level where we felt comfortable going from track to track and driving in front of hundreds of thousands of people.”
But that was just the driving audition. He also needed to go through the acting audition process, which consisted of a workshop with Bruckheimer, Kosinski and Lucy Bevan, the casting director.
“We talked about Joshua and what it would be like to be a rookie,” Idris said. “I really immersed myself privately in the sport. I got shamelessly drunk on ‘Drive to Survive’. I know you can’t say that out loud. I was following all the races. I was driving privately in California. I was doing a lot of simulation work. I was really trying to live the life of a driver as much as I could, so I could relate and understand the sport as much as possible.”
By April 2023, audiences knew that Idris would star in the film alongside Pitt, and Idris was diving into the world and life of an F1 driver to learn more about his character. It extended beyond training and also reached eating habits. He started out weighing around 85 kg (187 lb) and ended up weighing 77 kg (approximately 170 lb) by the time the film ended. “That was special,” he says now, joking.
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris look on in the paddock during previews of the 2025 Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The driving intensified as time went on as they underwent an intense five-month training program across different disciplines, tracks and cars. It started at Rockingham and eventually escalated to Silverstone, Budapest and the Circuit of the Americas. The Texas circuit, Idris said, was “the first time I really felt at one with the car and maybe to my own detriment.”
Craig Dolby, stunt driver and additional sequence choreographer for the film, said The Athletic last year about the 360 spin Idris endured while driving the Formula 2 car, which Dolby saw unfold in his mirrors. Idris created a gap with Dolby and tried to close in, only to lose control when he ran into Dolby’s wash.
The immersion extended beyond the track, with Idris doing similar exercises in the gym, such as focusing on his neck and eating cleanly. He said: “I tried to transform myself as much as possible, because it really wasn’t just about the physical. It was also about the mind. I knew that if I had prepared myself mentally for this, as well as preparing myself physically, I would get closer to feeling like a Formula 1 driver.”
And real F1 drivers also began investing time in the project, even if they were simply stopping by to watch or offer words of wisdom. Idris said Hamilton “was instrumental in a driver’s mental state and desire to want to go faster.” And George Russell was among the drivers who would stop by the set, a moment in Budapest that stands out for Idris to this day. After Idris spun in Turn 2, Russell essentially told the actor, “Oh, don’t worry, buddy. Turn 2 is hard to get to, right?”
Idris says that committing to the world of F1 made him a better actor for the film and made him appreciate the sport he had come to love. He recognized that competing in F1 was a lifelong process and dream for these competitors. Idris said, “I could never ever think that I could ever get close to that level of concentration. But even if I could achieve 5 percent for a movie, that would have been enough, and I think we did a great job at that.”
Once they wrapped filming on the F1 movie, Idris flew to Cape Town, South Africa, to see his next movie, “Children of Bone and Blood.” Like the F1 movie, it required a strict gym regimen.
But now that filming is over? “I’m eating donuts again,” Idris said. “It’s great to be an actor.”
F1 has become a cultural phenomenon that resonates across generations and industries as the sport’s popularity grows around the world. An example: drivers are becoming superstars like Idris and Pitt. As Idris said, the drivers have always been stars, but this has reached a new level in recent years, although it is crucial that the cars and driving remain the top priority.
But he believes that F1 is reaching a point of reinvention, similar to what the NFL, NBA and football have gone through, and hopes to be part of the bridge that connects F1 with different industries, such as fashion and entertainment.
“People of all ages, people of all backgrounds, they’re not just trying to consume the sport, they’re trying to get involved in it,” Idris said. “Different types of drivers, different types of teams. I think this will make it more exciting. This has to be for everyone. It has to be global. This is how we save humanity, and this is how we really empathize with each other, and we can all come together and enjoy something together.”