Ron Howard’s upcoming historical racing film “Rush,” a retelling of the rivalry between F1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, opens in selected theaters tomorrow. The camera will be on Chris Hemsworth as Hunt and Daniel Brühl as Lauda, of course, but the film’s also an interesting time capsule and a window into an era of Formula One long past.
Based on the trailers, the car fans will be satisfied with the attention to detail in the film. For instance, sharp eyes will spot the original Brembo logo. In 1976, the F1 season depicted in the movie, the Italian brake manufacturer was just in its second season as a supplier to Formula one, having come on board in 1975 when Ferrari requested Brembo discs on all Scuderia Ferrari cars. After Ferrari won the Constructors’ championship in 1975, Brembo became a staple of the manufacturer’s racing cars, helping Ferrari repeat its championship victory in 1976.
Though the Scuderia Ferrari cars were the only F1 cars equipped with Brembos in 1975 and 1976, that changed rapidly. Today, Brembo supplies brakes for half of the F1 teams, including the Red Bull team that took the championship in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The materials have changed, of course, from iron and steel to carbon and aluminum-lithium. The comprehensive growth and evolution of Brembo’s brakes mirrors that of the sport itself, and even if you’re not a fan of Ron Howard, Rush promises to be an interesting snapshot of racing days gone by.
The movie opens in select theaters this week, and moves to a nationwide theatrical release on September 27.
