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The Seat (2025)

Name: The Seat
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2025-05-05
Duration: 40 min
Rating: 7.4
Cast: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff, Peter "Bono" Bonnington, Bradley Lord, Gwen Lagrue

The Seat (2025), directed by Kyle Thrash, starring Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Toto Wolff.

05/05/2025 BR Documentary 40m

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Synopsis

'The Seat' is an unprecedented inside look that led to a once-in-a-generation driver change in Mercedes and F1 history. It reveals the private conversations that led the Mercedes team and Toto Wolff, its Team Principal and CEO, to its decision to promote 18-year-old Italian-born Kimi Antonelli to a Formula 1 Driver, making him the third-youngest rookie in the sport's history. The film follows Kimi, in the lead up to his first Formula 1 season as he takes on his destiny.

Patrick GolanCinematography
Kyle ThrashDirector
F. Michael YoungEditing
Gabriel CullenEditing

About the film

The Seat is a 2025 American documentary short film directed by Kyle Thrash and produced by RadicalMedia in collaboration with WhatsApp and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The 40-minute film documents the Mercedes team's decision to promote 18-year-old Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to a Formula One seat for the 2025 season, following Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. Released on Netflix on May 5, 2025, it debuted in the top 10 on the platform in over 25 countries. The film is an inspiring story that covers the internal discussions and strategic considerations led by Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff, focusing on Antonelli's transition to Formula One.

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Plot

The Seat follows the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team’s decision to replace Lewis Hamilton with 18-year-old unknown Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 Formula One season. The film follows the team and driver through internal team communications via WhatsApp, showing private negotiations between Toto Wolff, engineers, strategists, and Antonelli. It tracks Antonelli's intense preparation, including driving training, simulator sessions, physical workouts, and emotional heart-warming moments with his family and team.

Cast

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Toto Wolff

Peter Bonnington

Production

The Seat was produced by RadicalMedia, WhatsApp, Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Modern Arts, with Kyle Thrash (The Turnaround) as director. Filming took place in Brackley, United Kingdom in 2024 and Bologna, Italy, Canary Islands and Jerez, Spain in 2025, capturing Antonelli’s testing sessions, his FP1 appearance at Monza, a video call confirming his 2025 contract, team discussions, pitstop practices, seat fitting, and family moments. The film premiered at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix at the Faena Forum. It was Antonelli's first pole in F1 and made him the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position in any F1 format.

Release

The Seat was released on Netflix on May 5, 2025.

Reception

The Seat received positive reviews. Midgard Times rated it 8/10, noting its look at Formula One’s complexities and calling its tone polished. EverythingF1 gave it 4/5, citing genuinely brilliant insights into Antonelli’s journey, especially post-Monza FP1 crash.

References

External links

The Seat at IMDb

"Watch The Seat | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved May 5, 2025.

Text from The Seat (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seat_(film)

Trivia

It premiered on May 5, 2025, a Monday.
It runs 0h40 — short for a feature film.
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Netflix.
This film's quiz has 10 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosWhatsApp, RadicalMedia, Modern Arts
CountriesUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish, Italian
StatusReleased

Where to watch

Netflix Streaming

Cast

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Crew

Patrick Golan Cinematography
Kyle Thrash Director
F. Michael Young Editing
Gabriel Cullen Editing
Mark Imgrund Editing
Meghan Walsh Producer
Giosuè Greco Original music

Questions about this film

What is The Seat about?

The Seat: 'The Seat' is an unprecedented inside look that led to a once-in-a-generation driver change in Mercedes and F1 history. It reveals the private conversations that led the Mercedes team and Toto Wolff, its Team Principal and CEO, to its decision to promote 18-year-old Italian-born Kimi Antonelli to a Formula 1 Driver, m…

Who directed The Seat?

The Seat was directed by Kyle Thrash in 2025.

Who stars in The Seat?

The cast of The Seat includes Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff, Peter "Bono" Bonnington, Bradley Lord and Gwen Lagrue.

How long is The Seat?

The Seat runs for 40 minutes, or 0h40.

Where can I watch The Seat?

The Seat is available on Netflix and Netflix Standard with Ads. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.