A “haptic trailer” for Apple Unique movie F1: The Film provides a brand new dimension to all of the roaring race vehicles and manic pit cease maneuvers. When considered on an iPhone, the first-of-its-kind trailer triggers the gadget’s Taptic Engine in sync with the on-screen motion.
The distinctive trailer Apple launched Monday is the buzziest film gimmick since Percepto!, the system of electrical buzzers positioned beneath theater seats by director William Citadel to stoke curiosity in his 1959 horror flick The Tingler.
Haptic trailer for F1 is a cool gimmick
The F1 haptic trailer is a cool advertising and marketing gimmick for a high-stakes movie, delivered solely by the world’s hottest smartphone. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy and Prime Gun: Maverick), and starring Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, the Formulation One motion flick has a reported finances of $300 million. (The movie’s producer and director say it didn’t price that a lot, however nonetheless.)
If the movie turns into successful with its June 27 theatrical launch, it may recoup that cash — and function a big commercial for Apple’s streaming service (the place F1 will wind up later this yr).
Whereas Apple TV+ continues to win accolades for glorious reveals like Severance and Gradual Horses, the streamer hasn’t discovered as a lot success with its authentic films. CODA made Apple TV+ the first streaming service to win an Oscar for Finest Image, however different movies failed to interrupt by. Even high-profile initiatives like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon failed to overcome the field workplace, regardless of respectable critiques.
F1 haptic trailer makes for buzzy on-screen motion
Watching the F1 haptic trailer on an iPhone places the film’s audio components entrance and middle. When Pitt’s character is buckled into his high-horsepower racing machine, the iPhone jitters a bit. When he bounces balls off a wall, a staccato ticks emphasize the scene.
Issues actually get going when the pit crew’s energy instruments go into motion. And Pitt revs his automobile’s engine, the Taptic Engine goes loopy. It’s such as you’re in the midst of a textual content storm together with your iPhone’s haptics set to on in Silent mode. It evokes that feeling of getting hammered by messages, solely they’re being triggered by the motion within the trailer.
On X and different social media, the haptic trailer for F1 received film followers buzzing.
“Apple simply dropped the first-ever *haptic* film trailer and it’s WILD,” wrote @juanbuis on X. “You may actually really feel the F1 engines rumble.”
apple simply dropped the first-ever *haptic* film trailer and it is WILD
you’ll be able to actually really feel the F1 engines rumble
strive it on iPhone: https://t.co/CcHN3CPa11
— juan (@juanbuis) June 11, 2025
It’s clearly the vibe trailer of the summer time.
“Apple launched a brand new F1 trailer that makes use of the iPhone’s haptic motor for bodily suggestions — so I turned the amount down and recorded simply the vibrations,” wrote @imPatrickT on X. “It’s nuts to expertise for actual.”
Apple launched a brand new F1 trailer that makes use of the iPhone’s haptic motor for bodily suggestions – so I turned the amount down and recorded simply the vibrations.
it is nuts to expertise for actual. pic.twitter.com/yBscUJftTb
— patrick. (@imPatrickT) June 11, 2025
The haptic trailer even gained over some skeptics.
“I informed my group the F1 Film ‘haptic’ trailer sounded dumb, however I simply watched it on iPhone 16 Professional and good God that is dopeeee,” wrote @raywongy on X. “The haptics are so properly accomplished. All of the gear shifts and tempo matching. I would like all trailers to be haptic trailers now.”
I informed my group the F1 Film “haptic” trailer sounded dumb, however I simply watched it on iPhone 16 Professional and good God that is dopeeee. The haptics are so properly accomplished. All of the gear shifts and tempo matching. I would like all trailers to be haptic trailers now.
And it simply works within the TV app.… pic.twitter.com/tCAzEbGWau
— Ray Wong (@raywongy) June 11, 2025
Apple innovates with a brand new kind of trailer
Launching a wholly new kind of trailer for F1 ought to enhance curiosity within the movie, which Apple additionally showcased throughout its WWDC25 keynote Monday.
And, as Cult of Mac Editor in Chief Leander Kahney mentioned after watching the gimmicky trailer, perhaps Apple may take issues even additional.
“What in the event that they did it in film theaters?” he joked in Slack. “You possibly can sit in your cellphone to get the vibes proper by your pants.”
That will one-up even genius film marketer William Citadel, who utilized World Conflict II surplus airplane wing deicing motors to show The Tingler right into a memorable film occasion. Citadel spent $250,000 to connect the buzzers beneath sure seats in some giant theaters, however couldn’t probably set up them in every single place.
With greater than a billion iPhones within the wild, Apple may make haptic film historical past! (Don’t depend on it.)
What’s Apple TV+ F1 film about?
For these not conversant in the movie’s subject material, F1: The Film is a basic comeback story that emphasizes actual racing scenes.
Apple TV+ describes F1 like this:
Dubbed “the best that by no means was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the Nineties till an accident on the observe almost ended his profession. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), proprietor of a struggling FORMULA 1 group that’s on the snapping point. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back again to FORMULA 1 for one final shot at saving the group and being the most effective on the earth. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the group’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his personal tempo. However because the engines roar, Sonny’s previous catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competitors — and the highway to redemption just isn’t one thing you’ll be able to journey alone.
Watch the haptic trailer for Apple TV+ film F1
In case you personal an iPhone, you’ll be able to try the F1 haptic trailer by opening the TV app. It is best to see the massive, stunning poster for the haptic F1 trailer on the app’s fundamental display. (If not, simply go searching.)
In any other case, benefit from the non-haptic trailers under for a take a look at the intense racing motion.