Behind-the-scenes at Silverstone, Brad Pitt resumes F1 filming

Crash.net recaps all of the news, updates and tidbits of information from the Silverstone paddock after Thursday’s media sessions ahead of the British Grand Prix… 

Brad Pitt back in action as filming resumes

Filming for the Lewis Hamilton-produced F1 movie will get back underway at this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone. 

APX GP - F1's '11th team' - have returned to the paddock with a hospitality unit and garage. 

Its stars including Brad Pitt were spotted making an appearance in the Silverstone paddock on Thursday.

Max Verstappen shrugs off possible fan backlash

Max Verstappen has shrugged off concerns about a backlash from British fans at Silverstone following his controversial clash with home hero Lando Norris last time out in Austria.

Asked if he will be bothered if he is booed this weekend, the Dutchman - who has received frosty receptions at Silverstone in the past due to his fierce rivalry with Hamilton - replied: “I’ve had that already before, you know?

“I just focus on the performance. Everything is cleared [up], which for me is the most important, and we move on.”

Oliver Bearman explains F1 race number choice

Oliver Bearman has confirmed he will race with the number 87 on his car when he makes his full-time F1 debut next season with Haas.

“It’s the number that I have raced since the beginning,” Bearman told media including Crash.net. “It’s the number my dad raced with because I was born on the 8th of May and my brother on the 7th of August. So 87 was the number of choice and that will continue to be the case.”

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz believes the current racing rules in F1 are "clear enough" as the incident between Verstappen and Norris from Austria was a hot talking point in the paddock.

“In my view it is clear that you can move to defend and then come back, but always leave one car’s width to the white line so the other car fits,” Sainz said. “That’s the rule. I really struggle with the fact that we need to keep adding rules to the racing side of it. 

“I think there’s so many already, if you read the rulebook about what you have to do if you overtake on the inside, what you need to do if you defend on the inside, what you need to do if you attack on the outside, what you need to do if you defend from the outside. 

“It’s all a different set of regulations that is already super detailed and specific which I struggle to follow exactly when I’m driving a car at 300 kph. Because you cannot think at that speed about all those rules. Let’s say I don’t want any further rules. The rules are clear enough. And there was a decision taken on the stewards' side already. There’s nothing much to talk about for sure.”

Andy Cowell signing shows Aston are “very appealing for talent”

Fernando Alonso believes Andy Cowell’s arrival shows that Aston Martin are a “very exciting project” and a “very appealing” destination for “talent”.

“Every time that I come here for the simulator, it is getting bigger and bigger, buildings two and three nearly finished, wind tunnel at the end of the year coming,” Alonso said. “So this is for sure very attractive for many people in the paddock and for many great engineers.”

Aston Martin have also been heavily linked with a move for outgoing Red Bull designer Adrian Newey in recent weeks…

Oscar Piastri “definitely in the hunt for the win”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is confident he can join teammate Norris “in the hunt” for victory at this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

“We've had a really competitive car for the last three months,” the Australian said. “There’s been a lot of near misses and opportunities. I don't think there's been a clear-cut opportunity where we could have easily won. But we've been in the fight for a long time now.”

Alex Albon ‘would be upset’ to get same penalty as Max Verstappen

Alex Albon said he felt the contentious crash between Verstappen and Norris was “blown out of proportion” and was “aggressive” but ultimately “pure, hard” racing. 

The Williams driver added that he would be “upset” to get the same 10-second time penalty that Verstappen received when asked by Crash.net if he felt the punishment was harsh.