When Sam Collins sat down with Graham Kelly, the Action Vehicle Supervisor behind the headline-grabbing APXGP car in F1 The Movie, he uncovered a behind-the-scenes world where Hollywood ambition had to blend with real motorsport engineering.
The APXGP car—central to the film’s plot and action sequences—was built to look, feel, and sound just like a real Formula 1 challenger. While it might share the pit lane and grid with genuine F1 machinery, it’s actually quite different under the skin. Kelly and his team engineered the car around a 3.4-litre V6 engine, delivering about 620bhp. That’s less raw power than a modern F1 car’s 1000bhp hybrid V6, and the top speed is a step lower at 208mph compared to the real racers’ 220mph-plus. The APXGP is also slightly shorter and narrower but stands a bit taller, making filming simpler without losing visual drama.
Getting the APXGP car camera-ready was a technical challenge. Unlike a true F1 car, which is intensely complex and sensitive, the movie car had to be robust, repeatable, and ready for take after take. Kelly explained that in traditional filmmaking, you can line up a car for a scene and repeat the action as many times as you like. Not so with race cars—if you leave them idling for too long, they overheat, brakes can start to cook, and parts begin to stress. Every sequence had to be timed so airflow cooled the car while still delivering visual continuity and high-speed realism. It’s a juggling act unique to this blend of live-action racing and movie magic.
One of the production’s clever moves was the use of a GP3-based chassis for most on-track filming. This meant the car was fast, tough, and handleable, yet allowed for crucial technical modifications, camera rigging, and even variations in engine spec for different scenes. A few all-electric versions were tested, offering big torque and instant acceleration, but the battery weight made track work unpredictable, so the combustion engine versions saw the most use.
To keep up the illusion, Kelly and the team created a full pit lane set-up—hospitality tents, data screens (even some with printed “information”), and a race team vibe that stood up to close scrutiny from fans, crews, and even real F1 insiders during actual Grand Prix weekends. The APXGP car was even filmed running at the back of the real grid during events like the British Grand Prix, slotting seamlessly into the high-stakes world of professional motorsport.
This synthesis of film craft and true racing engineering meant the APXGP car didn’t just look fast—it really was. With professional drivers behind the wheel, the car ran at full tilt to ensure every wheel-to-wheel shot, pit stop sequence, and race start felt as real and breathless as any actual Grand Prix.
The result? A movie car that stands out not just for its cinematic presence, but as a genuine piece of motorsport innovation—one that could fool even the most die-hard F1 fan from ten feet away. Graham Kelly’s technical team built something more than a prop—they crafted an experience, marrying art and engineering for the big screen, and delivering a dose of authenticity Hollywood rarely achieves.
