Max Verstappen has admitted that Brad Pitt’s upcoming F1 film, co-produced by rival Lewis Hamilton, ‘doesn’t really interest him’.

The three-time world champion had Pitt as company

at the British Grand Prix in July, as the Hollywood actor and his cast-mates used Silverstone to film scenes for ‘Apex’. Up-and-coming English actor Damson Idris will star alongside Pitt, a Formula 1 driver who comes out of retirement to mentor Idris’ younger character.

Director Joe Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame is overseeing the project, with a 2024 release date on Apple TV+ previously being eyed before the lengthy Hollywood strikes, which have now ended, set in. But Verstappen won’t be waiting up until midnight to see Hamilton and Co’s creation, confessing in typically-candid fashion that he has no interest in watching a movie about his own sport.

Asked about the film by Formule1.nl, the three-time world champion explained: “Before the US Grand Prix in Austin, I saw a few clips from the new film. They were shown during the drivers’ meeting with an explanation of how they had filmed it all.

“Nice to see, but it doesn’t really interest me that much. I don’t need to see a film of my own sport. This film is of course a made-up story and everything is always over-dramatised, you have to love that. I personally don’t have that much with that.”

Filming was paused over the summer when the Hollywood strikes began but following their conclusion in November, Hamilton provided an update on the status of the project, which now boasts an inflated budget because of the delays. “In December, I’ll probably spend a day or so with Joe and Jerry [Bruckheimer, producer], just going over the script,” the Mercedes driver explained.

“And obviously now we can continue on with the writers and now Brad and Damson will be back in training, getting ready to get back in the car. We will continue on filming next year, so you’ll see them around more.

“And we’ve already got great footage with the demo drivers who have done a great job, as I think all the drivers got to see in Austin. We’ll keep pushing along, it’s still going to be great. Might cost a little bit more, but I’m really confident in what Jerry is going to produce.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is looking forward to watching the film, saying in July: “I think it’s amazing for the sport, though, I think it’s great. It gives us really big visibility, big reach to people that might not know or might not be interested so much into Formula 1.

“Just for them to understand it in a better way, in a more lucrative way. And with the movie, I think is the best possible way. So no, or at least for me, it won’t add any pressure, but I don’t think [it will] for anybody as we are getting used to having cameras around.”

The Formula 1 circus rolls into Las Vegas this weekend and local businesses are touting their illicit services to stars like drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Formula 1 stars are being offered “complimentary coitus” by two sex workers when they visit Nevada for this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and the other 18 drivers will be in Las Vegas for a weekend of F1 unlike any other. The 21st race of the season is at the new Las Vegas Strip Circuit, which will take in all the famous sights of the self-proclaimed entertainment capital of the world.

The track passes the famous Caesars Hotel, the Bellagio Fountains, MSG Sphere and the Mirage – and there is plenty more going on besides the racing. With a star-studded opening ceremony on Wednesday night, the whole event is forecast to bring in $1.2billion in economic value to the Las Vegas area.

While Las Vegas is primarily known for gambling, the state of Nevada is also the only state in the US where prostitution is legally permitted in some form. And the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people has seen local businesses begin to tout their services.

Hamilton has said he is expecting a “wild experience” in Sin City and Addison Gray and Alice Little, workers at the Chicken Ranch brothel, are hoping that might involve them. “It’s Formula 1 fever in Las Vegas this month and we’re all psyched up for the big event,” Little told TMZ. “Any driver that wants to get their hearts racing and celebrate the F1 with me and Addison will be treated to 100 per cent complimentary coitus.”

Prostitution is actually illegal in Las Vegas, so any F1 driver wishing to redeem that offer would have to drive 60 miles west of the city to the brothel. Hamilton and his Mercedes colleagues have already been informed by team principal Toto Wolff that they are not allowed to gamble in the many casinos Las Vegas has to offer.

He said: “I’ve never been to Las Vegas, but we’ll do our best to make sure everyone in the team stays away from the casinos. I don’t gamble and I’ll make sure no one else gambles either!”

Whatever happens, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is certain to be different from the other races in the F1 season. The sport is being hosted in Nevada for the first time since 1982 and it is going big, with 100,000 tickets sold for five days of entertainment.

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collided at the start before Max Verstappen went on to dominate the Qatar Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took second and third after holding position in the final stages.

Verstappen was in total control after clinching his third title on Saturday.

The Dutchman led throughout from pole position, although he did lose the lead after his first stop, mandated by rules restricting tyre mileage as a result of safety concerns.

All the teams were restricted to a maximum of 18 laps on each set of tyres after Pirelli discovered its product was vulnerable to failure at high speed over the kerbs at the Lusail circuit.

That led to a staccato race in which it took time for the order to settle down, all drivers forced to make at least three pit stops by the tyre-mileage limits.

Williams’ Alex Albon led the race after Verstappen had made his first pit stop, a situation partly influenced by an early safety car deployed to recover Hamilton’s damaged Mercedes.

But as the strategies evened out over a race distance, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fifth place behind Verstappen, Piastri, Norris and Russell.

Leclerc capitalised on an error by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who ran wide off the circuit at about half distance and lost out to the Ferrari.

Alonso, struggling with a seat that was burning him, held on for sixth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished ninth on the road after starting from the pit lane following a crash in Saturday’s spring, his race hampered by two five-second penalties for exceeding track limits.

But the Mexican’s race was hampered by two five-second penalties for exceeding track limits, the first served at a pit stop and the second imposed at the end, demoting him to 10th behind Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu.

What happened to the Mercedes pair?

Starting from second and third, Russell and Hamilton had a great opportunity to build a large gap to Ferrari in their fight for second in the constructors’ championship and Hamilton to close on Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for second in the drivers’ title chase.

But they came to grief at the first corner as they tried to go three abreast with Verstappen.

Hamilton started on the soft tyres, which gave him greater grip off the line, and he pulled alongside Russell on the outside, with Verstappen in the lead on the inside, but not a full car’s length ahead of the Mercedes.

As Hamilton tried to sweep around the outside, his right rear wheel tagged Russell’s left front and the seven-time champion spun into the gravel.

In their immediate radio messages, the drivers were angry with each other, Hamilton saying he had been “taken out by my team-mate” and Russell saying “for the second race in succession”, a reference to his feelings that Hamilton had not played the team game as they fought the Ferraris in Japan two weeks ago.

Out of the car, Hamilton was more contrite, saying: “It’s a fine line. I’m sorry for all the team.”

And he later said on social media: “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.”

Russell dropped to last with a pit stop to replace his tyres at the end of the first lap, but drove an impressive race to fight back to fourth place, underlining what might have been possible for both cars had they not collided.

Mercedes realised early on that the mandated shorter stint lengths, combined with less tyre wear issues than in the sprint, meant Russell could push harder than expected.

It was a realisation they seemed to come to earlier than other teams, and allowed Russell to make a lot of ground through the race.

Max Verstappen is expected to secure his third consecutive World Championship this weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix, and there is still plenty at stake across the board at the Lusail Circuit. The Dutchman needs just three points to retain the title, and he could even be triumphant before Sunday’s big race gets underway.

This weekend will see the return of the sprint race, meaning that Verstappen could earn himself a vital three points on Saturday to reign triumphant. The Red Bull star has made it no secret that he is no fan of the additional races though, despite the sprint presenting him with an opportunity to secure the 2023 title early.

Speaking earlier this week, Verstappen claimed that the format ‘takes a little bit of the excitement away’, feeling that fans are unable to grasp the superiority of cars as the sprints make the situation ‘unclear’.

Elsewhere, Ferrari and McLaren still have plenty to play for in Qatar as they look to secure a second-place finish in the Constructor Championship, with Mercedes currently occupying the spot and 20 points clear of the field.