There’s been a lot of buzz about F1, the upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt. I know you’re a producer. How did you get involved?

We were there from the beginning. There were a couple scripts out there. I had known Joe [Kosinski, the director] from when we talked about doing Top Gun: Maverick through Tom [Cruise]. Tom put me in touch with Joe, and there were discussions of being in the movie. And then we just stayed in touch. Then we all reconnected to talk about potentially doing a Formula 1 movie. And then we went through this whole process of working with a writer.

What was that like? Did the screenwriter interview you about the details of driving in Formula 1?

Ehren [Kruger, the screenwriter] basically did a ton of research, watched a lot of races, came to a bunch of races, and then went away and wrote up a script. But we would sit and talk about what racing is about. Then once he wrote the script, I would sit with him and call bullshit, basically, on the things that don’t seem real and are not what F1 is about and try to make sure that it’s as authentic as possible. Then at the same time, I started a production company, so I’m a producer with these guys. I’ve been able to be involved in all areas—so making sure the cast is diverse, making sure we’ve got a woman in a pit stop, which we never, ever had at the actual track. Hans Zimmer was someone I wanted to have doing the [music for the] movie, so we have Hans Zimmer. Joe has been amazing at including me in everything.

What types of things in the screenplay made you call bullshit?

It would just be racing scenarios. Technical jargon engineers would talk. But particularly racing scenarios and sequences between overtakes and pit stops and strategies and all those sorts of things. There may have been a crash that was like the car hits the wall and flips and lands on the wheels and keeps going, and that doesn’t happen in Formula 1.

When you were prepping for the movie, did you ever get out on the track with Brad Pitt to check out his driving? If so, how’d he do?

Yeah. We went to a track in L.A. I took him out and sat in the passenger seat, and he drove. I used to be a driving coach when I was younger. It was a way of making some money part time whilst I was racing. So I’ve sat with God knows how many non-racing drivers. You can tell immediately the good ones, the bad ones. Straight away he was on it. You could tell he has it. He has it in his DNA. He’s just not been able to hone in on it like we have. But he’s got big potential.

So you’re confident he can give a realistic performance as a driver?

Yeah, but I think obviously it takes time. Ultimately, the story of a fifty-odd-year-old jumping into the season and fighting against us youngsters—it’s just not the done thing. But then there’s discussing: How would you go about doing that? How much training would you have to do in order to really be able to come back and fight and react in the same way? Yeah, there’s a lot of detail that went into it.

How have you changed up your training routine over the years to stay fresh and competitive?

You definitely adapt always, and you learn you have to just watch your energy. Recovery is huge, a really big part of the process. It’s the whole 360 thing. It’s not just going to the gym. It’s how much you stretch, how much physio you end up doing, what you eat. And that’s constantly changing week by week. And obviously, depending on how much energy you have, the different time zones that you’re in.

You travel so much for your sport. Do you have rituals or secrets to make yourself comfortable when you arrive?

Not really. I listen to a lot of music. I have music set up in my room. I record music. Basically, I write and sing music. Different sorts of R&B. So I record music at night. Often in my evenings, I read. Try to meditate, mostly in the mornings. But I don’t always get to it. And then I’m focused on my sleep. Try not to slack on that ever. So there’s a cutoff time when I want to go to bed depending on what time I need to be up the first day.

In working with a partner like the Ritz-Carlton, you have a chance to do different kinds of events, like the Almave tasting we just had. Any favorite experiences?

We were just talking about this the other day. In Mexico City I went to visit a school and see the kids. I love when I work with partners that are doing practical stuff. I think that’s been a real shift. When I first joined Formula 1, we were working with partners, but less so in the human-connection space. In the last five or six years, working with partners like the Ritz-Carlton, it’s “What impact are you making? How do you give back?” When we go to a school, see youth, and see that they’re invested in children, for me, that brings real warmth to my heart. Especially as my foundation is all about getting youth who won’t have the opportunity, for example, to get into our sport, to get into STEM and channel through to a good career.

Do you have a time frame for your career? You’re going to be starting a new process with a new team next year. Do you have a plan for how long you’d like to keep racing?

I definitely do. There are days I’m like, shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go. There are days I’m like, shoot, I’d love a break, a proper break, because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports. You don’t finish until mid to late December, and then you’re back into training already in January, and that’s two times a day you’re training. There are another couple of hours of therapy that you’re doing during that time as well. So you’re not really getting a huge amount of downtime. And in February, you’re flat out running until December.

That sounds pretty grueling.

But I do have mentally a plan of where I would like to extend to. I’ve just got to strategize and sequence things. I’m very much about sequencing, like looking at brands that I collaborate with, companies that I’m essentially starting, how I manage my time between all those, and how I’m able to dedicate myself to this job still. Is there a time when I’m not all in and I’m just not in love with it anymore? That’s the moment that hopefully never happens, in the sense that I’ve fallen out of love with it. But I will know when I need to stop.

You’ll feel it.

I want to make sure I really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life. There are so many people that have finished their careers early, and I’ve spoken to many who’ve said they wish they could have just done one more year or two. And they’re like, “Stay in as long as you can!” But I don’t want to do it if I’m not good. So it’s like, how much do you want to train? When you’re twenty-two, it’s so easy to work out and be fit. There’s no recovery and you’ve got nothing else going on, no other stresses, no real responsibilities except for that one thing to go and kill. Now it’s: How can you stay sharp and be able to do all those things you have going on, and still be able to compete with those young guys in their twenties?

Does it give you particular pleasure to beat the young guys?

Not particularly. I’m super competitive naturally. I don’t care who it is. I just want to win.

No matter who it is you’re competing against.

Yeah. When I won the other day, I didn’t think anything about anybody else. I just thought about my team. I thought about people that were with me. People that have sacrificed their time away from their families. People who were giving that extra bit of time in their day when they could have left early to go home and see the kids, and they’ve given that extra time to build these parts that got us that result. That’s who I think about.