Apple TV+ finally made its entry into live sports by agreeing to a multi-year deal for streaming Major League Baseball games in an exclusive Friday night package. But the tech company’s platform is still adding to its growing catalog of sports documentaries.
According to Deadline, Apple TV+ has acquired the rights to an upcoming feature-length documentary about Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
Directed by Matt Kay (Little Miss Sumo) with former HBO CEO Richard Plepler executive-producing and Hamilton himself attached as one of the project’s producers, the as-yet-untitled film will have full access to Hamilton and his team, following them on and away from the track, and feature a variety of interviews.
Hamilton is certainly a compelling figure worthy of a documentary. He’s currently the only Black driver racing in the Formula One series, which has gained enormous popularity due to Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries. Hamilton is a seven-time Formula One champion (tied with Michael Schumacher for the most ever), while holding the records for most wins, pole positions, and podium finishes in the series.
And he’s actually Sir Lewis Hamilton, having been knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2020.
The Hamilton documentary joins Magic Johnson docuseries They Call Me Magic, set to debut April 22, and a 10-part series on the New England Patriots dynasty currently in development among Apple TV+’s growing catalog of sports documentaries.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
