Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has officially launched his film and television production company, the Dawn Apollo Films company. The Mercedes driver admits that he might look at becoming an actor in the future.

The Mercedes driver has set up the production company with the Copper team, which is headed by his manager Penni Thow. Already two projects are expected with Apple TV+: an untitled Formula 1 racing film by Top Gun Maverick director Joe Kosinski, starring Brad Pitt; and a feature-length documentary about Lewis Hamilton’s own journey, in which he ‘broke barriers on and off the track’.

Lewis, the actor

Speaking exclusively to Deadline, Lewis Hamilton explained why he chose to start his own production company:

“I’ve always been into movies. I watch a lot of them. I find it a real escape. There are a lot of films that I find inspiring and it has always been a dream of mine to do something in this business one day,” said the British driver.

“I’ve often been asked if I would do it. I’m very lucky to be an F1 driver, but I’ve never really had the time to devote to acting, but one of my dreams is to tell stories.”

“So I sat down with my team and asked “What would it take for us to start a production company?”, And I went around and met with a range of producers and filmmakers in Los Angeles just to gain knowledge. One of them was Jeffrey Katzenberg,

“The goal is to create powerful stories and ultimately inspire people through films and stories. A big part of the new venture will be about social impact, community and causes. That’s very important to me,”

When asked if he will play himself in the upcoming F1 film, Hamilton said:

“I don’t foresee that. I can’t say it’s impossible, but at the moment I’m enjoying the lessons I’m learning in the background from Joe [Kosinski], the writing team and Brad [Pitt].”

Hamilton has dabbled in ‘the arts’ before, most notably an attempt at singing and producing music. The Mercedes driver has collaborated on songs by other artists and then released an album of his own on spotify. The record featured saucy lyrics about pulling women on nights out, boozing and having his heart broken.

Regarding a release date for the F1 film, Hamilton said that no date has yet been set as the film’s script is still being refined. Instead, the Mercedes driver said the documentary would “most likely” be available in late 2023 or sometime in 2024.