Formula 1 moves into scripted with ITVS’s Bedrock Entertainment & Felicity Jones

Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Liberty Media-owned Formula 1 is moving into drama with ITV Studios America-owned Bedrock Entertainment, marking the motorsport brand’s first move into producing its own scripted show.

One will star Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything), who is also set to co-produce through her company Piecrust Pictures, working alongside Bedrock and F1. Streamer/broadcaster details have not been revealed, although Formula 1 owns its own streaming services, including F1 TV Pro.

The drama will focus on the tumultuous ascension of a fictitious family-owned Formula 1 team as it contends with fierce personalities, ever-changing rivals and multi-million-dollar stakes.

Drive To Survive

The project, which marks the first to emerge from Tony To and Dan Sackheim’s Bedrock, will use “the combined access and power of F1 to create a seamless and authentic world,” the producers said, blending fiction with the real world of Formula 1.

Pending the resolution of the WGA strike, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Iron Man) will serve as writers and executive producers, alongside To, Daniel Sackheim and Philippe Maigret, president & MD of ITV Studios America.

To said the show would “tell the story of the characters who inhabit this unique world and what happens behind the scenes of the great and complex sport, while capturing the massive scope and scale of F1.”

“Felicity is one of the most talented and engaging actresses in the world,” added Isabelle Stewart, head of original content at Formula 1. :”We are thrilled to partner with her, Tony, Philippe, Mark and Hawk, to bring the glamorous, high-pressure and competitive inner workings of the world of Formula 1 to life for audiences across the globe.”

F1’s global brand has soared in prominence since Liberty Media acquire the sport in 2017. Netflix’s Drive To Survive series on the sport helped to open up new audiences but Liberty has also pumped investment into F1’s streaming services, with aforementioned F1 TV Pro proving a hit with fans and driving engagement.

It is not the first show to explore F1 from the inside, with driver Lewis Hamilton most recently unveiling plans for a movie starring Brad Pitt from his nascent production company, Dawn Apollo Films.

The prodco is also behind two previously announced shows for Apple TV+, one of which will be a feature doc that tracks the UK driver’s career as he moved from karting to become one of the sport’s most famous names.