A new trailer for F1 The Movie is the first one you have to watch on your phone. From the director and co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger, the upcoming film stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor rising star Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the fictional Apex Grand Prix team. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Oscar winner Javier Bardem.

Now, Apple has released the first-ever haptic movie trailer for F1. However, it has to be watched on an iPhone to experience the full effect of the Taptic engine pulsing and vibrating along with the racing action on-screen. The trailer is available to watch right now via the Apple TV app on iPhone, though it requires iOS 18.4 or later.

What F1’s Haptic Trailer Means For The Movie

It’s The First Ever Haptic Movie Trailer

This is supposedly the world’s first haptic movie trailer, which is somewhat surprising since the technology was first introduced in the Apple Watch in 2015, and later incorporated into the iPhone. Still, with Apple Studios producing the F1 movie, it makes sense for them to take advantage of their Taptic engine technology to create a unique trailer viewing experience. Overall, the haptic trailer continues the clever marketing for F1, as the first trailer was released right before the 2024 British Grand Prix, followed by the second shortly before the Australian Grand Prix.

Additionally, during Apple’s 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, executive Craig Federighi drove an APXGP car on the roof of Apple Park, the company’s corporate headquarters. There have been several other tie-ins between the movie and Formula One racing, as the F1 25 video game features a racing skin, black with gold accents, identical to the cars that the APXGP team drives in the movie. The haptic trailer is just the latest piece of clever tie-marketing for the F1 movie.

Our Take On F1’s Haptic Trailer

It’s A Clever Use Of The Technology

F1‘s haptic trailer is actually pretty cool, as the iPhone vibrates as the cars roar and battle for position. When Brad Pitt climbs into the race car and starts the engine, the vibration is actually enough to amp you up. In the cockpit, with the front tires brushing the curbs, the phone’s rumble is synced perfectly with the action on screen. While the new F1 trailer is a clever use of the technology, since most people watch trailers on their phones anyway, it certainly won’t be the best way to watch the actual movie, which is releasing in IMAX.

Source: Apple