Formula 1 racing is expanding its push into the American mainstream via a new movie starring Brad Pitt, with a trailer dropping as the current season began in Australia.
F1 has long enjoyed popularity in Europe, but a media marketing push, including a 2019 Netflix docuseries, has helped the sport find global fans: It has its own production facility in London and a streaming subscription service.
The Pitt movie, simply titled F1 and slated for release in June, is strategically aimed at catapulting the sport to international blockbuster status.
“Anytime Brad Pitt’s in a movie people pay attention,” the head of the media company that owns F1 told the Financial Times. “The movie is serving the super fan, but also driving this mainstream.”
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