Damson Idris praises Brad Pitt for making F1 movie 'better every step of the way'

Damson Idris has praised his F1 co-star Brad Pitt for making the film "better every step of the way".

In the upcoming racing drama, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One driver who is asked to come out of retirement to mentor hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce, played by Idris, for the APXGP team.

During an appearance at Goodwood Motor Circuit in England on Saturday, the Snowfall actor reflected on "sparring" with the Hollywood star on set.

"Brad Pitt is just an amazing character, such a kind spirit. He taught me about humility, no matter how huge you get, and as an artist, he's just one of our finest," he told the press. "A lot of people - well everyone really - is going to be really proud of him in this movie. He was such a great leader. He made the movie better every step of the way and he was a great sparring partner for me."

The British star, who performs much of his own driving in the movie, was asked who would win in a race between him and the Oscar-winning actor, and he confidently declared himself the winner.

"Oh, definitely me, hands-down. I'll beat Brad any second. He ain't got nothing on me," Idris stated. "He's good on the clutch though, but apart from that, nah, he's not beating me."

To celebrate IWC Schaffhausen as the official watch partner of the fictional team APXGP team, Idris returned to the track at Goodwood on Saturday to demonstrate how they filmed race sequences for the movie. He and stunt driver Elliott Cole jumped into the actual Mercedes GT Idris drives in F1 to do a few laps of the circuit alongside a car with an elaborate camera rig.

F1 will be released in cinemas from 25 June.