F1: Why was Simone Ashley's role cut from the latest sports drama? Helmer Joseph Kosinski reveals the real reason

F1 director Joseph Kosinski reveals why Bridgerton star Simone Ashley's role was cut from his high-octane racing sports drama starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.

Kosinski recently spoke with People magazine about the changes he had to make during post-production. Considering themassive scale and scope of his film, Kosinski had to make some difficult decisions, leading up to the final cut. Unfortunately, one of them is about Ashley's role. When asked about the same, the director said,

"It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn't make into the final cut."

Kosinski shares that Ashley's storyline was removed for a creative reason, but agrees that he would like to collaborate with the star again. During the interview, he said,

"But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again."

In the film's final cut, Ashley doesn't have any dialogue, but she appears briefly on the screen. Yet, based on Kosinski'sresponse, she might appear in another of Kosinski's projects in the future.

What is F1 the Movie about?

After making waves with Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski returns with another drama filled with action scenes that will make you skip a heartbeat. It's a sports drama set in the world of Formula One racing. So, instead of characters flying high in the air, they are fighting each other on a racecourse. Judging by its trailers, the drama is ripe with the themes of reclamation, redemption, and rivalry.

F1 seems promising as a pricey affair with over a $200 million production budget. It seems cut above the rest of the blockbusters these days with its creative choices. His previous project, the Tom Cruise starrer was a massive success upon its release in 2022. It grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide, earned multiple Oscar nods, and won one for its Sound Design.

Based on all these details, F1 seems like a package worth exploring for anyone who loved Kosinki's previous work or is, in general, a fan of dynamic racing sports dramas like Ford v Ferrari (2019) or Rush (2013).

The official plot synopsis for F1 the movie reads:

"Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’sapproached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that ison the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone."

Simone Ashley speaks about her experience of working on F1 the Movie

IWC at Watches & Wonders in Geneva - Day 3 - Source: Getty

During a cover story for Who What Wear in March 2025, Simone Ashley spoke in detail about working on F1 the movie. She said,

"You had to work as a team. Sometimes, we literally had one take for certain shots. Like, you’d see on the call sheet eight minutes to get this one thing because we were shooting alongside the races.”

She further added,

“It was amazing, the adrenaline. It was kind of like theater. It felt so live … You hear the crowd and the fireworks and thecars. Everything’s just so fast-paced and noisy, and we’re all together as a little unit. It was just one of the craziest things I think I’ve ever been part of.”