"“F1: The Movie”, with a mix of stunning action shots and the growing global fan base for Formula One thanks to Netflix’s series “Drive to Survive”, has become the top box office success for Apple, grossing nearly $300 million in just 10 days in theaters."
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The producers had access to film at real races from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, at the McLaren factory in Woking, and at the legendary Silverstone circuit.
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But there is a key scene in the movie that is a documentary (no spoiler): at the beginning of Sonny Hayes’ promising career, the pilot played by Brad Pitt, suffers an almost fatal accident aboard a yellow-branded Lotus with the Camel cigarette logo.
When did the accident that appears in the movie “F1” happen?
The film places the accident during the Spanish Grand Prix of the 1993 season, in Jerez de la Frontera, but it actually occurred in 1990 during Friday’s practice sessions.
The Lotus of Northern Irishman Martin Donnelly suffered a breakdown that sent him crashing into the barriers at over 250 km/h. The violent impact destroyed the car, which split in two, and threw Donnelly, still strapped to the seat, into the middle of the asphalt surrounded by debris.
The actual images on board and then of Donnelly’s body lying on the asphalt in the movie are part of the memories of the accident that changed the life of Brad Pitt’s character.
In real life, upon arriving at the scene of the accident, Dr. Sid Watkins, a key figure in the medical safety of Formula One, encountered a critical situation: Donnelly was choking after swallowing his tongue, and his face was beginning to show signs of lack of oxygen. He was immediately stabilized and first transported to Seville and then to Watkins’ own hospital in London.
The pilot had multiple injuries, including severe fractures in both legs, brain and lung damage, and they almost had to amputate one of his limbs. In induced coma, Donnelly’s heart stopped twice and his condition was so critical that he received the last rites. Against all odds, he survived.
Donnelly authorized the use of the images
According to a report by BBC, in April 2023, Donnelly received an unexpected call while watching television at his home. On the other end of the line, a voice introduced itself as Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion wanted to turn the Northern Irish driver’s accident into the emotional starting point for the beginning of the movie “F1”.
Brad Pitt referred to Donnelly as a “hero” and also asked for his direct collaboration to authentically recreate the atmosphere of a Formula One garage from the 1990s.
Donnelly was invited to the filming at Brands Hatch circuit, where he helped guide the production team. During a scene, Pitt asked him for directions directly, even adopting his old superstition of getting into the car from the left side, first with that leg. This gesture was reflected in the movie, which uses his helmet as inspiration for the protagonist’s visual design.
At the movie premiere in London, Brad Pitt dedicated a special mention to Donnelly and he attended accompanied by his children.
Even in the final credits of the film, there is a thank you from the producers to Martin Donnelly.
After said accident, the Northern Irish pilot was never able to return to Formula One and definitively gave up after the accident that cost Ayrton Senna’s life in 1994. Currently, at 61 years old, he remains linked to motorsport, albeit in a different role: as a steward for drivers in Formula One and with his own racing driver training academy in Norfolk.