The summer blockbuster ‘F1: The Movie’ has been shortlisted for five award categories at the 98th Academy Awards, with the success of Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton’s project now eligible for recognition on the biggest stage in cinema.
Apple’s first foray into large-scale cinematic releases was a qualified success, bringing in over $630million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing sports movie of all time. Critically, it was well received as well, and fans were generally impressed with its blend of Hollywood drama and realistic on-track action.
Now, the project, directed by Joseph Kosinski, can begin its Oscar campaign. When 12 shortlists were announced on Tuesday, ‘F1’ featured on five of them. The Apple-backed film will compete for nominations in the categories of cinematography, music (original score), music (original song), sound, and visual effects.
The Academy has confirmed that nomination voting will run between January 12 and January 16, 2026, and that the complete list of nominations will be released to the public on January 22.
Naturally, given the project’s success, murmurs are already circulating about a sequel. Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the corporate intent while speaking with Variety at the Emmys in September.
“It’s definitely something that’s being talked about,” he declared. “It’s been such a huge summer blockbuster for us. We’re so proud of it. The talent involved are such next level, and Brad [Pitt] did such a wonderful job acting in it. We’re super proud of it, and we can’t wait to bring it to the surface.”
Cook’s sentiment was matched by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who confirmed that meetings have already taken place with Hamilton about ideas for a potential sequel. With no filming or production underway, though, there will likely be a significant wait for the next instalment of Sonny Hayes’ story.
“We met with Lewis Hamilton a couple of weeks ago, and started talking about some ideas,” Bruckheimer explained to Forbes in November. “We’re in London right now, and we’ve screened the movie twice every night for the last three nights. We have the audience in there, and the first question I ask them is, ‘How many of you have not seen this movie?’
“80 per cent of the hands go up, and it’s unbelievable. The other 20 per cent have seen it several times. People that haven’t seen it say, ‘Oh, it’s not my kind of movie.’ It is your kind of movie. It’s emotional, fun, and it’s a great night out at the theatre.”