Apparently the real-life inspiration behind a key part of the plot for the new film 'F1' starring Brad Pitt, is Lotus F1 driver Martin Donnelly's terrifying career-ending crash at Jerez in 1990.
F1 The Movie - Official Trailer - Warner Bros. UK & Ireland:-
Revealed: the harrowing real-life crash that inspired Brad Pitt F1 movie (Motorsport magazine).
"The basic storyline has been known for a while — a driver long absent from the top level of the sport returns to the worst team on the grid to mentor a young rookie. The F1 trailer has filled us on a few more details, such as the initial tension between the two team-mates and there was also a brief glimpse of a scene that provides confirmation of how another important plot point is rooted in a real life event.
From the early stages of filming it’s been common knowledge that Brad Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes had raced in F1 in the 1990s before a major accident derailed his career.
It was also rumoured that the crash was based on that suffered by Martin Donnelly in practice for the Spanish GP at Jerez on September 28, 1990, and which saw the Ulsterman suffer severe injuries.
The fact that the Donnelly was spotted in the fictional Apex GP team’s garage at last year’s British GP appeared to confirm that he was in the loop.
The trailer indicated not only that Donnelly’s accident forms part of the story, but also how accurately the production has attempted to recreate it.
A brief snippet shows Hayes in a pit garage with a Camel-liveried Lotus 102 similar to the car driven by Donnelly. On his yellow overalls Hayes even carries the logo of Martin’s personal sponsor Cellnet, which stuck with him after his F3 days.
Director Joe Kosinski didn’t have to use a 1990 Lotus – Hayes could have been driving any generic nineties F1 car – but the fact he did so reflects the overall quest for realism and detail. Should anyone watching the film suggest that the sight of a driver thrown from a broken chassis is far-fetched, Kosinski can cite Jerez, and say that it really happened.
The precise context of the crash in the storyline and what unfolds afterwards remains to be seen. What is clear is that thanks to a little Hollywood magic Hayes makes a full recovery and is able to resume his career in other categories, before eventually getting the call for a surprise F1 comeback. The real Donnelly was not so fortunate, and never had that second chance."
Full article here:-
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