USA Grand Prix – Julien Fébreau’s column

If the Formula 1 sometimes (often?) takes on the appearance of a circus, it is not unpleasant to know that she will soon be making her own cinema. With Hollywood sauce concocted by Brad Pitt, please! We had to go to great lengths to ignore the presence of the American actor-director last weekend in Austin!

So much the better, because the superstar did not come to the Circuit of the Americas as a Sunday afternoon VIP, surrounded by bodyguards, but rather to scout for the film he decided to make on the flagship discipline of the moment .

It was therefore through interviews in each team that, from free practice on Friday and until the start of the race on Sunday, Brad Pitt fulfilled his schedule. Don't be fooled by the American star's passing whim, because his involvement in this project goes well beyond what some might see as opportunism linked to the growing popularity of F1. Aware of having to present to the public a copy that is both faithful to what this sport embodies and as spectacular as American cinema can offer, Brad Pitt has invested himself to the point of recently going to the Paul-Ricard circuit, at Le Castellet , to take driving lessons and want to further improve his abilities behind the wheel in the months to come. It must be said that he will play the leading role in his film, in which he will play the driver of a team competing in the Formula 1 World Championship. Filming planned for 2023. So expect to see Mr. Pitt regularly in the paddocks.

Sylvester Stallone and Jean Alesi

A workaholic who is reminiscent of Sylvester Stallone who, at the dawn of the 2000s, had also considered producing a film on F1, failing at the last moment when he could not agree with the teams, all wanting to land a leading role in the American blockbuster. Enough to scare away Rocky who then preferred to fall back on the CART, ancestor of theIndyCar, to shoot his film.

However, Sly did not fail to immerse himself in the world of F1, sympathizing with Jean Alesi and offering him a short appearance in his film, driven. So the USA loves F1. I never would have imagined one day writing this sentence. Remember that we have come a long way in terms of acceptance of discipline in Uncle Sam's land.

I still remember one of my first Grands Prix as a reporter in Indianapolis, where the USA-F1 relationship was almost buried forever. On this Sunday in 2005, it was a scenario that many producers would have refused for lack of realism, which nevertheless played out in the corridors of the largest sports venue on the planet. Since that cursed day when American spectators threw their cans on the sacred track of Indy, demanding reimbursement for their tickets, time has passed. When the Grand Prix arrived in Austin in 2012, however, the reception was not the warmest, with the local public preferring to judge on the basis of evidence and over time before placing their trust in the F1 product.

An Ed Sheeran concert under the sign of Formula 1

While going to the Ed Sheeran concert on the track on Saturday evening, I remembered that a few years ago, many spectators took their tickets for the Grand Prix for the sole reason of going to burst into flames, the the day before, at the concert of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars or Pink. Saturday evening, I saw at the edge of the stage more t-shirts retracing the charts of Schumacher orHamilton, as those listing the dates of the world tour of the most famous red-headed singer on the planet.

The weekend's record crowds blew us all away in the paddock. You had to see and hear this crowd gathered at the foot of the gigantic American flag, at the start of the first turn. What a great revenge for this sport.

A fervor that we will find in a few days in Mexico, where I am already looking forward to going to better meet you... at the first corner!

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