Lewis Hamilton’s first press conference of his 20th Formula 1 season covered energy deployment, Ferrari’s culture, and his push for an African Grand Prix. Then a reporter from The Hollywood Reporter Japan asked about the movie.
Hamilton’s answer in Melbourne on March 5, recorded in the FIA’s official transcript, was more concrete than the usual “we’ll see.” He said the team is already working on the first script, with an initial meeting in the latter part of the previous year between himself, Jerry and Joe about possible directions. Those are producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski. He said there have been many meetings with the writer since. He also gave the most self-aware assessment any producer has offered of his own franchise: “sequels often aren’t always great.”
He did not offer a title, a release date, or a cast list. He also ruled out a bigger part for himself. He said he has little desire to be on camera and prefers working in the background. He pointed instead to a pipeline of TV shows, documentaries and films he plans to produce.
The Money Already Voted
Hamilton didn’t need to make the business case. Apple’s own press release says the film topped $629 million worldwide, and it calls it the highest-grossing sports film ever and Brad Pitt’s biggest feature. It then won the Oscar for Best Sound at the 98th Academy Awards, according to Skywalker Sound.
Related Articles
- 10 Musicians Who Rock a Killer Car Collection
- Rivian Teen Mode Will Let Parents Tame the 1,025-HP Quad R1T
The bigger reason is that Apple is now F1’s exclusive U.S. broadcaster, per its newsroom announcement. That makes a sequel more than a movie for Apple. It’s a two-hour advertisement for a product the company sells every race weekend.
The Engineering Headache
The APXGP cars were never F1 cars. Kosinski told F1’s official podcast that the production bought six Dallara F2 chassis and took them to Mercedes’ F1 team. There, the wheelbase was stretched 400mm and the cars got custom bodywork mimicking the then-current regulation cars, with built-in mounts for 16 camera positions. The Red Bull Ring’s exhibit listing for one car shows a 2018 F2 chassis and a 3.4-liter Mecachrome turbo V6 rated at 620 hp. redbullring
That recipe was built to match a generation of F1 car that is now obsolete. Under the FIA’s 2026 technical regulations, maximum wheelbase drops from 3,600mm to 3,400mm, width shrinks from 2,000mm to 1,900mm, and minimum weight falls 30kg to 768kg. Active aerodynamics are also new.
If the sequel is set on a contemporary grid, the hero car has to look like a 2026 car: shorter, narrower, and with wings that move. That has two consequences.
The first is good news. The stretch from F2 proportions should be smaller this time, which is our math, not anything Universal or Apple has announced. Every millimeter of spacer adds weight and flex to a chassis already carrying an actor and a camera payload, so less of it is a win.
The second is less convenient. Active aero is something viewers can see. Fans now watching full race weekends on Apple TV will notice a wing that never moves. That leaves the production two options, mechanical mock-ups or visual effects, and neither is cheap.
The story itself gets harder too. Hamilton told the same press conference that energy deployment is the hardest part of the new cars, and that lifting or not lifting in a single corner can cost close to a second over a lap. That’s real drama for engineers. It’s much harder to put on screen than a late-braking dive into Turn 1.
The Owner’s Angle
Mercedes-AMG cashed in on the first film with the GT 63 APXGP Edition. Mercedes-Benz USA says only 52 will be built, each with hand-applied APXGP paintwork and a 577-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8.
Related Articles
- Sydney Sweeney’s Car Collection: A Bronco She Rebuilt Herself, a 1965 Mustang Named Britney, and the Garage Rumors Nobody Can Prove
- Ford’s Maverick Cave Never Closed. It’s Still Running Ford Logistics 160 Feet Under Kansas City
A sequel tends to extend the shelf life of movie-tie-in cars like this, which matters to collectors. Two practical warnings, though:
- Repairs: Mechanically it’s a regular GT 63, but the hand-applied livery is not. A minor fender bender becomes a specialist paint job, not a standard respray.
- Insurance: Owners should push for agreed-value coverage that recognizes the limited production. A standard policy may only pay what a regular GT 63 is worth.
The Bottom Line
The sequel is real and in development, with Hamilton in the producer’s chair rather than the cockpit. The hard part won’t be the script. It will be building a camera car convincing enough to pass for a 2026 F1 car in front of an audience that now watches the real thing every other Sunday. If you were Kosinski, would you build wings that actually move, or fix it in post and hope nobody pauses the frame?
Images Via: Wikipedia
About the Author
