Damson Idris Teases F1 Movie Sequel Talks as Amelia Dimoldenberg Returns for Passenger Princess Season Two

• Damson Idris says “exciting conversations” are happening about a sequel to F1 The Movie, which passed $630 million at the box office
• Formula 1 has separately confirmed a second season of Passenger Princess, with Amelia Dimoldenberg joined by Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and three other drivers
• Both announcements landed within days of each other on Formula1.com, underlining how much the sport is leaning on content away from the race calendar

Formula 1 delivered two reminders this week of how much time, and money, it is investing in stories that have nothing to do with lap times. Damson Idris confirmed talks are under way on a sequel to F1 The Movie, while the sport separately announced the return of Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Passenger Princess for a second season.

The two announcements, released within days of each other on Formula1.com, sit alongside Netflix’s Drive to Survive as examples of Formula 1 investing in stories built around its personalities rather than its races alone.

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Idris on the Sequel: ‘Exciting Conversations Are Happening’

F1 The Movie arrived in cinemas in June 2025, directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Apple Original Films, before making its streaming debut that December. The film passed $630 million at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing sports film ever made and Brad Pitt’s highest-grossing feature to date. Pitt played Sonny Hayes, a veteran driver who returns to Formula 1 after three decades away to help save his former team-mate’s struggling outfit, with Idris playing Joshua Pearce, the team’s rookie, written as both a rival to Hayes and eventually his ally.

Speaking to Beyond The Grid host Tom Clarkson on the latest episode of Formula 1’s official interview podcast, Idris kept the details of any follow-up close, but did not deny that talks are already happening.

“There’s talks, there’s not much I can say but there’s exciting conversations that are happening,” he said. “The main goal is to make the sport and the fans proud. And I think the first movie did that.”

A Film Built for the Whole Family

Idris pointed to the film’s reach beyond typical racing audiences as the reason for its success.

“I know people who watched it 19 times!” he said. “The brilliance of F1 The Movie, I think, is it was, for the first time in a long time, it was a movie that you could take your whole family to. You can go with your grandparents, your kids, your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever the case may be.

“We don’t often get that with movies. So I think that’s why it was so successful. Because your whole family can go and watch it, and it’s 10, 20 seats that you’ve bought and you’re all enjoying that. I think movies like F1 are very important.”

From Snowfall to the Starting Grid

Before taking on the role of Pearce, Idris was best known for playing Franklin Saint across six seasons of the FX crime drama Snowfall, which ended in 2023. F1 The Movie also starred Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Javier Bardem, with large parts of the production filmed with real access to the Formula 1 grid across Grand Prix weekends. Idris and Pitt both learned to drive race cars for their roles and adopted the fitness routines used by current drivers to prepare, and Idris was named a Global Brand Ambassador for Formula 1 earlier this year.

“It really has changed my life,” he told Clarkson. “I was the young actor that was on Snowfall and then this movie just kind of catapulted me in this rocket ship. I think the roles I take have to be roles that give me the same feeling that F1 gave me, taking on a new trade, a new skill, and being able to brag at family Christmas dinners that I’m a Formula 1 racer to my two-year-old niece who’s the only person who is going to believe me. ‘Uncle Damson’s a racer!'”

Pushed on whether he would want to put the racing suit back on, Idris did not hesitate. “100%, in a heartbeat,” he said. “Just for the experience to get in the cars again, and drive round the tracks. I’d have to get quicker! That’d be so embarrassing, ‘Damson you’ve slowed down!’ That would be amazing. This time I’d definitely take the advice of doing the espresso shots a bit more often to gain a couple more seconds. No more banana peanut butter smoothies for me, I’m going to shed the weight even more.”

Amelia Dimoldenberg Returns for Season Two

While Idris was discussing a possible return to the big screen, Formula 1 confirmed a very different comeback. Passenger Princess, the YouTube series hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, is returning for a second season, produced by Dimz Inc. in collaboration with Formula 1 and premiering in mid-July 2026 on Dimoldenberg’s YouTube channel, with new episodes airing weekly through July and August.

Season one featured George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman and Carlos Sainz, and drew more than 289 million views. For season two, Dimoldenberg is joined by Charles Leclerc, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Gabriel Bortoleto, Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon, filmed across the Barcelona-Catalunya and Austrian Grand Prix weekends. The format sees Dimoldenberg step into the passenger seat with each driver as she continues what Formula 1 describes as her ongoing pursuit of becoming a more confident driver, with varying levels of success.

Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer of Formula 1, said the series had proved itself as a way of reaching audiences beyond the race weekend itself. “We are incredibly excited to bring Passenger Princess back for a second season following the fantastic success of the first series, which attracted millions of viewers around the world and gave fans a unique look at the personalities behind our sport,” Prazer said. “Amelia has a remarkable ability to connect with audiences through humour, authenticity and creativity. With Formula 1’s fanbase now exceeding 830 million worldwide, this series is a brilliant way to engage both existing fans and new audiences, and we cannot wait for everyone to see the drivers face one of their biggest challenges yet, teaching Amelia how to drive.”

Dimoldenberg, who also hosts, produces and created the online interview series Chicken Shop Date, said she had been given another chance behind the wheel, regardless of her results the first time around. “Against all odds, they’ve let me ‘drive’ for another season,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be back in the passenger seat with six new drivers and even more opportunities to demonstrate why I still can’t be trusted behind the wheel.”

Two Very Different Kinds of Comeback

Two different projects, two very different drivers behind them, but the same underlying bet: that Formula 1’s audience wants to spend time with its personalities away from the track, not just across the 20 or so Sunday afternoons that make up a season. The six new episodes of Passenger Princess arrive weekly through the rest of the summer, running alongside the Belgian and Hungarian Grands Prix, while Idris and F1 The Movie’s producers work out, in his words, what comes next.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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