Lewis Hamilton will not attend Sunday's 98th Academy Awards despite the F1 movie he produced earning four Oscar nominations, with the ceremony clashing directly with the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton confirmed he has explored every possibility to make the trip to Los Angeles but cannot reconcile the timing conflict with race commitments at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The Chinese GP takes place on Sunday at 15:00 local time, with the Oscars ceremony beginning at 19:00 ET, roughly 16 hours after the conclusion of the race, making any attendance logistically impossible for the Briton.
"It's just impossible. I've looked at every way to get there in time, but unfortunately I can't," Hamilton told select media including RacingNews365. "But I'll FaceTime with Joe and Jerry when they're there, which is cool, and I'm incredibly proud."
The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer alongside Hamilton, has been nominated for Best Picture, Visual Effects, Sound and Film Editing. It grossed over $630 million worldwide following its summer 2025 release.
Hamilton's role as producer extended far beyond typical duties, with the seven-time world champion serving as a technical consultant to ensure authenticity throughout the production, which was filmed at actual grand prix weekends.
The 41-year-old also reflected on the film's broader impact on Formula 1's global reach, noting the buzz it has created among new audiences.
"I mean, I never, ever thought in a million years that would be the outcome of the work that we were doing over the past years, and it's amazing to see," Hamilton said.
"I obviously don't own the sport, but to see how much promotion there is around the world, to see the buzz, to see new people getting excited about the sport in the way that I was, like so many of us were growing up, it's really great to see that it's expanding."
"And on top of that, I'm still here, still able to be a part of it and witness it."
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