Brad Pitt joins the grid at Silverstone!

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Silverstone's pitlane has been decked out for this weekend's British Grand Prix and there are a couple of new faces on the traditional driver boards displayed above the F1 team's garages.

'Sonny Hayes' and 'Joshua Pearce' have apparently joined the grid, or would that be Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and British actor Damson Idris?

As scheduled, filming for Pitt's F1 move 'Apex' will kick off at Silverstone this week.

The epic, produced by legendary Hollywood blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by 'Top Gun: Maverick' director Joseph Kosinski, with Lewis Hamilton acting as a co-producer and special advisor to the film, will feature real racing footage blended with sequences filmed using specially prepared F2 cars mocked up as F1 machines.

Pitt himself is expected to take to the track in between session over the weekend.

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Speaking to the media earlier this week at Woking, McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown believes the project will have a massive impact on F1 fans and beyond.

"I think definitely [it will have a big impact]," he said.

"I think we all wanted to be a pilot after watching Top Gun and I think it will have the same impact on the audience, it’s a lot of the same producers.

"It’s a massive production and I think it will get a lot of current fans excited but I think a lot of people who don’t follow the sport will see it and think it’s unbelievable.

"I think the technology they’re going to use will make it a racing movie unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the past as far as it’s realism and it will be another shot in the arm for Formula 1 worldwide and motor racing as a whole."

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.