{"id":177485,"date":"2025-06-12T04:40:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T04:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177485\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T04:40:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T04:40:15","slug":"how-the-f1-soundtrack-came-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177485\/","title":{"rendered":"How the \u2018F1\u2019 soundtrack came together"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The pinnacle of motorsport, Formula One<\/a>, has its own music.<\/a> The swift rhythms of a six-cylinder engine reaching 15,000 rpm; the ear-to-ear glissando of a spirited overtake in a DRS zone; the A-list concerts that follow most race weekends. So, when it came to making the summer tentpole \u201cF1,\u201d<\/a> starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, the team behind the film knew its sound had to be massive, too. <\/p>\n

That comes courtesy a score by the many-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer<\/a> and a huge soundtrack releasing as \u201cF1 The Album\u201d via Atlantic Records \u2014 the team behind the award-winning \u201cBarbie\u201d album<\/a> \u2014 the same day as the movie, June 27.<\/p>\n

The soundtrack features original music from Chris Stapleton, Myke Towers, Blackpink\u2019s Ros\u00e9,<\/a> Tate McRae and many more. The creative forces behind it all \u2014 film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Joseph Kosinski and Atlantic Records West Coast President Kevin Weaver \u2014 tell The Associated Press how \u201cF1 The Album\u201d came together.<\/p>\n

An ideal partnership<\/p>\n

In the years that it took to create \u201cF1,\u201d Kosinski had \u201cearmarked big music moments\u201d across the movie\u2019s narrative, explains Weaver, who oversaw and produced the project. His team at Atlantic Records took those notes and came up with ideas for songs, artists and writers, collaborating with soundtrack executive producers Kosinski and Bruckheimer. They enlisted Atlantic artists, like Ed Sheeran and Ros\u00e9,<\/a> but also looked elsewhere. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mostly, if not solely, about what the film needs,\u201d Weaver says. \u201cIt really kind of boils down to whose voice would sound best in these various moments. \u2026 Who can accomplish what Joe and Jerry needed from a storytelling perspective?\u201d<\/p>\n

And what they needed were big bespoke songs to meet the film\u2019s intensity and match its inclusion of huge classic rock songs, like Queen\u2019s \u201cWe Will Rock You.\u201d<\/a> All the songs featured on \u201cF1 The Album\u201d are originals, which is why Tate McRae\u2019s \u201cSports Car<\/a>,\u201d despite its fitting name, is not on it; instead, she offered \u201cJust Keep Watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atlantic, usually Weaver, would play the label\u2019s song choices against filmed sequences in the editing room, Bruckheimer explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if there\u2019s a race and we need to end it with a song he\u2019ll play, you know, maybe 10 songs against that sequence and it\u2019s the best song that wins. It\u2019s not usually the song that we think is going to be the biggest hit or features the biggest artists,\u201d Bruckheimer says. \u201cIt\u2019s the one that works for a particular sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, left, and Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in a scene from \u201cF1 The Movie.\u201d (Apple TV+ via AP)<\/p>\n

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, left, and Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in a scene from \u201cF1 The Movie.\u201d (Apple TV+ via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

A global focus with a diversity of talent<\/p>\n

\u201cF1 is such a global sport. I wanted the soundtrack of the film to reflect that,\u201d Kosinski says. That meant tapping artists \u201cfrom all over the world to give it a feel that the sport really has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton,<\/a> who consulted on the project, made sure that need for global inclusivity was clear from the start, says Kosinski.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes here in Hollywood we can get a little myopic in terms of our cultural focus,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd this sport, it is inspiring to me to just see how eclectic it is.\u201d <\/p>\n

He would send Hamilton demos of the soundtrack and get his opinion: \u201cI sent him the Burna Boy track,\u201d Kosinski remembers. \u201cLouis was like, \u2019This is going to be a giant hit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very intentional about genre and demographic,\u201d Weaver adds. \u201cWe have pop records. We have Afrobeat records. We have electronic records. We have country songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result is a collection of 17 tracks with broad appeal \u2014 not unlike the lineup of a major summer music festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds amazing,\u201d Bruckheimer says. \u201cThe soundtrack blends perfectly in with every scene that we put the music against.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, left, and Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in a scene from \u201cF1 The Movie.\u201d (Apple TV+ via AP)<\/p>\n

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce, left, and Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in a scene from \u201cF1 The Movie.\u201d (Apple TV+ via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

A variance of approaches<\/p>\n

Artists on the \u201cF1\u201d soundtrack found inspiration and participated in different ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it was bringing an artist in and showing them a scene, like Ros\u00e9,\u201d who then created to that, says Kosinski. Chris Stapleton did the same. Other artists were simply given a concept or an idea to inspire them and would record a track that would later be tailored to a specific scene.<\/p>\n

For Sheeran, Kosinski came up with 10 key phrases as lyrical prompts, words that \u201cidentify Sonny Hayes,\u201d the film\u2019s protagonist played by Pitt. Sheeran\u2019s song, \u201cDrive,\u201d was written with John Mayer<\/a> and Blake Slatkin \u201cspecifically for the end title of the movie,\u201d adds Weaver. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the culmination of the Brad Pitt character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other artists have deep ties to Formula One \u2014 like the DJ Ti\u00ebsto,<\/a> who has regularly performed at F1 grands prix across the globe as part of \u201ca long-standing relationship\u201d with the motorsport,<\/a> as he tells the AP. Atlantic Records asked if he\u2019d like to pitch any songs for the movie \u2014 and he actually ended up in the film, portraying himself in a big Las Vegas nightclub scene. \u201cI hope I win an Oscar for this,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI jumped right on it,\u201d Ti\u00ebsto says of the opportunity. \u201cDance music and racing, there\u2019s a connection because they\u2019re both high energy. And with F1, it\u2019s a perfect combo and it brings people together from all over the world.\u201d That\u2019s true for the Dutch DJ especially: His song for the soundtrack, \u201cOMG!,\u201d features Missouri rapper Sexyy Red. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe heard the song, and she really loved it and, yeah, she wanted to write lyrics for it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a really cool collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

For rapper Roddy Ricch,<\/a> participating in the soundtrack was simply an opportunity to \u201cbe in the company of great company,\u201d he says, name-checking Doja Cat and Don Toliver. \u201cI just love being a part of things that\u2019s great.\u201d His song, \u201cUnderdog,\u201d arrives in a big race moment and takes a conceptual approach to the motorsport.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes when you\u2019re in the race of life, you feel like you may be doubted, you may be under pressure,\u201d he says of the song\u2019s messaging. \u201cJust keep your head up and finish the race. The marathon continues.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s director has one particular wish for the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people come away discovering something,\u201d Kosinski says. \u201cAn artist they\u2019ve never heard before \u2026 and if they aren\u2019t fans of Formula One, hopefully they come away with interest or a passion for the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames contributed reporting from Miami.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The pinnacle of motorsport, Formula One, has its own music. The swift rhythms of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177486,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[19639,21385,43076,51173,15923,73273,73266,17497,34944,73268,10582,4199,707,7182,73272,4200,4179,57065,73269,73274,73265,73267,998,3943,269,73271,73270,73275,79,64402,16,15,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-177485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-arts-and-entertainment","9":"tag-atlantic-ocean","10":"tag-auto-racing","11":"tag-automobile-racing","12":"tag-brad-pitt","13":"tag-burna-boy","14":"tag-chris-stapleton","15":"tag-damson-idris","16":"tag-doja-cat","17":"tag-don-toliver","18":"tag-ed-sheeran","19":"tag-f1","20":"tag-formula-1","21":"tag-formula-one","22":"tag-formula-one-racing","23":"tag-formula1","24":"tag-general-news","25":"tag-hans-zimmer","26":"tag-jerry-bruckheimer","27":"tag-john-mayer","28":"tag-joseph-kosinski","29":"tag-kevin-weaver","30":"tag-lewis-hamilton","31":"tag-movies","32":"tag-music","33":"tag-myke-towers","34":"tag-roddy-ricch","35":"tag-sonny-hayes","36":"tag-sports","37":"tag-tate-mcrae","38":"tag-uk","39":"tag-united-kingdom","40":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114668557089957665","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}