F1 hit theaters this past weekend, delivering high-octane Formula 1 action to the big screen. In the wake of its release, star Brad Pitt and director Joseph Kosinski sat down to discuss how they managed to film during a live F1 race. The film crew shot during multiple live Formula 1 races, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the British Grand Prix, but the one that trumped them all was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Director Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed the wildly popular Top Gun: Maverick, called the Yas Marina Circuit an “ideal place to film” because it’s “such a distinct setting in such a beautiful location.” He also said that “all 10 teams [in the race] allowed us to shoot a scene for an hour.” The film crew essentially created an 11th team for the race so they could film during the live event, something quite unprecedented. Brad Pitt chimed in, saying, “We had every car in their team.” This endeavor is part of a larger effort to attract more film productions to Abu Dhabi.

F1 opened better than expected this past weekend, easily claiming the number one spot at the weekend box office, thanks in part to IMAX and other premium formats being a large part of the marketing. The film is the first theatrically released film for Apple Studios this year. After the poor performance of films such as Argylle, Fly Me to the Moon and Wolfs in theaters last year, the studio scaled back theatrical releases in favor of more streaming releases. Due to the runaway success of F1, a sequel to the film is already being discussed. The film is currently playing in theaters worldwide.