Verstappen Declines Invitation from 'Nervous' Hamilton, Paddock Buzzing with 'F1' Hype

Lewis Hamilton was nervous, as he shared during the media day in Monaco. The man with seven world championships to his name, was somewhat anxious about his colleagues' reactions. Would they find it realistic enough, would it accurately reflect what drivers go through? The answer turned out to be yes.

Overall, the reception of the film was positive. Naturally, 'it's Hollywood,' as all drivers remarked, but the film was said to be more accurate in its details than other racing films.

Positive aspects were said to be the quality of the visuals and the sound. The creators of 'F1' had already impressed with Top Gun and are said to have continued that with the F1 film. The fact that some aspects were exaggerated because it's a film and not a documentary didn't dampen the spirits.

All drivers had signed an embargo before viewing the images. They were not allowed to speak substantively about the film before the official premiere. This led many drivers to refrain from discussing any details, but Esteban Ocon was clearly less well informed.

From the start, Ocon delved into various details of the film. How the team would find its way up, that the team would eventually win (big surprise) and how the team would win.

The group of laughing journalists surprised Ocon: 'You've seen it too, haven't you?' No, only the drivers had seen the film, so these were new details for the present journalists. Despite the warning, Ocon later revealed more details about the film.

Not all drivers could discuss the brand-new film premiering on June 27. Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were absent. Why Stroll wasn't there: 'Just, things...' Stroll mentioned he might watch the film eventually, but he skipped the screening.

The same applied to Verstappen: "I had already let the FOM know I couldn't make it on time. I just wanted to spend more time at home. When you're away from home so often, it seems only natural to want to spend any time you have at home. Especially now that the family is growing, of course.’’

This did not damper Hamilton's spirits. His first film is coming out soon, and there appears to be much more in the pipeline. 'I have three concepts I'm writing on. I will be writing with a writer, because I've never written a movie script before. But I have those concepts and ideas for films.’’

'At least two animation movies are coming, one of which the first part of the script is already finished. There will also be documentaries, maybe some TV series eventually. But mostly films. I really love films’’, concluded Hamilton.