Social Media Suspects F1 is Using AI For Physics-Defying Camera Transition
Fans of Formula 1 have noticed some impressive, physics-defying camera transitions at the last couple of races, and social media is convinced it’s AI.
As the racing series rolls into Texas this weekend, the shot that has really got people talking was of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen as he brought in his Red Bull for a pit stop at the Singapore Grand Prix a couple of weekends ago.
Seamless 🤩
#F1 #SingaporeGP https://t.co/KMCRkElL4a
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 11, 2026
A camera operator is filming Verstappen from the pit lane, but as the Dutchman pulls away, it appears the camera operator flies away with him as the picture seamlessly transitions from the pits to just above Verstappen’s cockpit.
A similar video of George Russell racing in Azerbaijan, where a camera at the side of the track joined his Mercedes, has apparently been wiped from the internet, presumably at the behest of F1, although PetaPixel watched it.
Matt Amys, a digital creator who explains how F1 works, says that the broadcast team has been using AI transitions since at least the Dutch Grand Prix held back in August.
Amys says that the AI is not generating racing footage but “the bit between two real camera shots.”
“There’s no real camera moving between [the two shots],” Amys explains. “The way I believe this works is that you give it the first point and the end frame of these two real camera positions, then you tell it to create the missing movement between those two camera positions, which will then generate a camera automatically that never happened in real life.”
Amys says that it’s possible to notice mistakes during the transition, such as illegible text on the car’s decals. And like the Verstappen shot in Singapore, the footage slows down before suddenly speeding up again.
Wherever AI is used, there’s always controversy and complaints. However, there were plenty of people who accepted that this use of AI is inoffensive.
“I think in terms of artistic integrity a scene or cut transition is one of the least offensive uses of AI out there,” writes DavidBrooker on a Reddit post discussing the matter.
PetaPixel reached out to Formula 1 for clarification but did not hear back.
Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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