Lewis Hamilton outlines ambitious plans for after F1 retirement

Lewis Hamilton has launched a film and television production company as he prepares for his life after Formula 1.

The seven-time world champion, 37, has formed Dawn Apollo Films alongside investment and talent advisory firm Copper, which is headed by Penni Thow, who has worked closely with the Mercedes driver over the last year and a half.

Hamilton is already involved in two projects with streaming service Apple TV+, including a F1 film set to star Brad Pitt, who attended the United States Grand Prix in Austin last weekend, and a documentary on his own journey in the sport.

Speaking to Deadline, Hamilton revealed that being able to tell stories had always been a “dream” and that he hopes to “inspire people through movies”.

“I’ve always been into movies. I watch a lot. I find it a real escape,” Hamilton explained. “There are a lot of movies I find inspiring and I’ve always dreamed of one day doing something in this space.

“The question was often asked whether I would act. I’ve been very fortunate to be an F1 driver so I never really had time to dedicate to the craft of acting but a dream of mine has been to story-tell.

“I sat down with my team, and I asked ‘What would it take for us to start a production company?’, and I went around and I met a range of producers and filmmakers in LA just to gain knowledge. One of them was [former Disney chairman and Dreamworks co-founder] Jeffrey Katzenberg.

“The goal is to make impactful stories and ultimately to inspire people through movies and storytelling. A big part of the new company will be about social impact, community and causes. That’s very important to me.”

The as yet untitled F1 film will be directed by Joe Kosinski, who oversaw Top Gun: Maverick, the highest-grossing film of the year so far.

Hamilton claimed in August that he had been offered a role as a fighter pilot in the film by star Tom Cruise but was forced to decline due to scheduling conflicts with the F1 season.

While the British driver and Mercedes endured a difficult start to the campaign, Hamilton has returned to the front of the field and narrowly missed out on a first win of the year in Austin on Sunday.

The 37-year-old insists he remains focussed on motorsport and has does not plan to step away for “a while”.

“My main focus and my core job is still motor racing,” Hamilto said. “I’m 37. I’m very focused on my health: on my body, my mind and my spiritual well being. I

“’m very conscious of other great athletes who spend their whole lives as I have, focused on their sport, and when they come to the end they might not necessarily have had the right people around them to help structure the course ahead for them.

“I’ve spoken to people who have said: ‘Look, when I stopped it all came crashing down. I wasn’t prepared to do other things. I hadn’t taken time to learn any other crafts, other skills. I don’t know what my other passions are, so, I didn’t really focus on trying to understand what those are and create pillars’.

“So, when I do stop racing — which I don’t plan on doing for a while; I still feel I’m in a good place — I want it to be seamless. I want to be able to move on to fully focus on Dawn Apollo Films and to be able to jump in at a similar level to what I’ve been used to.”