F1: Disney+ announces plans for Formula 1 Documentary as F1 skyrockets
As Liberty Media takes the Formula 1 series up like a rocket ship to the Moon, or perhaps it’s to Mars, several more Drive To Survive like TV shows are in the works.
The first to be released will be a brand-new documentary series covering Brawn GP’s sensational Formula 1 season in 2009 will soon be released on Disney+.
But there are more right behind that.
The Matrix and John Wick star Keanu Reeves will tell the remarkable story of Brawn GP’s against-the-odds Formula 1 triumph in a new four-part documentary for Disney+.
With the working title of Brawn: The One Pound Formula 1 Team, Keanu will be joined by key players as he narrates an account of Brawn and Jenson Button’s 2009 title-winning season. The series will be released globally, and Keanu has been working in the UK over the summer conducting interviews for the series.
Brawn GP was a late entry to the 2009 campaign following the withdrawal of Honda.
Despite its late preparations, the team arrived at the opening round of the season with the fastest car in the field, to the surprise of many.
It would go on to take eight grand prix wins throughout the campaign and would deliver Jenson Button a World Drivers’ Championship.
Keanu will interview “the people who were there – on the track, in the garage and the boardroom”, including Brawn and Button. The filmmakers have also been granted access to Formula 1’s broadcast archives, including previously-unseen footage, to tell the story of such a remarkable season.
“I am honored to be a part of telling the incredible story of Brawn GP and their remarkable F1 Championship Season in 2009 with those who lived it in this four-part documentary series,” said Keanu.
“It has been great to have the support of Disney+ and producing partnership with North One to bring this story to life.”
Taking to Twitter on Friday, Button confirmed that the docu-series will drop soon on Disney’s streaming service.
“Exciting news! I’ve been working on a four-part series called ‘Brawn: The One Pound Formula 1 Team’, covering the incredible F1 Championship Season of 2009,” he wrote.
“You don’t want to miss this one, coming soon to Disney+UK.”
F1 has had success with other documentary productions, most notably with Netflix’s Drive to Survive show.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton is working on a documentary series for Apple and also teaming up with Brad Pitt for a movie set in the world of Formula 1, describing his key responsibilities as “making sure that the cast and the crew in the background is diverse” and acting as a storyline consultant.
Hamilton added: “It’s really about showing how great this sport really is, to people that maybe have never watched it – but also making sure that we really keep the real heritage and the true racing spirit within the movie, and within the script.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo will be an executive producer on a half-hour fictional scripted series for Hulu which he’s compared to Ballers and Entourage.
“It is fiction, but I’ll try to give as much input that it stays on course and doesn’t go too far away with people like, ‘OK, this would never happen like that’,” Ricciardo said. “I’m going to try and give the best advice I can when I can.”