Joseph Kosinski's motorsport epic "F1," starring Brad Pitt, sped into pole position at the U.K. and Ireland box office, debuting with £7 million ($9.7 million), according to Comscore. Released by Warner Bros.

Javier Bardem, who plays Ruben Cervantes, points out Idris and Pitt likely felt more pressure filming during the live races in front of hundreds of thousands of people. But he says the crew’s “work” wasn’t lost on him.

F1 made an estimated $55.6 million in North America in its opening weekend and racked in $144 million worldwide, the Associated Press reported. With these figures, the Pitt-led sports drama became Apple’s biggest opening to date — and the Oscar winner, 61, was a huge part of that, according to a Warner Bros. executive.