Sonny Hayes, Brad Pitt’s character in F1 The Movie, was inspired by British driver Martin Donnelly and his career-ending crash at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Footage of the wreck was used to depict Sonny’s own accident that altered the trajectory of his own F1 career, leading into the events of the film.

Pitt himself even confirmed Donnelly was the basis. Speaking to Beyond The Grid podcast, he explained, “We based Sonny’s past on Martin Donnelly’s crash. Martin was so gracious to give us his footage and to allow us to build our character around that.”

However, one could also make cases for other drivers whom the producers took inspiration from when designing Sonny’s career. After all, Sonny is an American who continued racing in the highest levels of motorsports before his return to F1. Motor Sport Magazine drew comparisons to those like Niki Lauda and Robert Kubica who came back after near-death accidents, and to Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen for drivers who’ve dabbled in other disciplines between F1 stints.

At the same time, though, Sonny’s career tackles different series from either of the latter. There are mentions and depictions of him competing in NASCAR, IMSA (particularly the 24 Hours of Daytona), IndyCar, and even the Baja 1000. He’s also shown wearing a shirt from the 1988 Paris–Dakar Rally.

That résumé sounds familiar…

While he never made it to F1, Robby Gordon is widely considered one of the most talented and versatile drivers in all of racing. He’s won in all of the above disciplines including twice in CART, three times in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Baja 1000 overall on three occasions, and his class for four straight years at the Rolex 24. Gordon also has Dakar stage wins and three Stadium Super Truck titles to his name.

Some of his fans seemed to notice the similarities between his portfolio and Sonny’s; the fact that both are Americans also seems to help. Others are understandably more skeptical. After all, Gordon ultimately did not reach the top level of open-wheel racing—Ligier had expressed interest in signing him for the 1996 F1 season, but it fell through.

Gordon himself? He could see where the fans are coming from, provided it’s discussing an IndyCar rather than F1.

“Kind of weird huh,” Gordon remarked. “I’m not aware of many that have done this following: Daytona 24, Daytona 500, Indy 500, Dakar Rally, NASCAR, Baja.”

Regardless of inspiration, off-road fans are probably just jazzed that Baja is even acknowledged.

“With a sequel already in discussion, it’s clear the desert isn’t done with Sonny just yet,” SCORE International proclaimed. Gordon currently races the #5 Trophy Truck in the series.

Featured image credit: Stadium Super Trucks