Kerry Condon (F1) F1
Kerry Condon plays Kate McKenna, APXGP's technical director — the engineer who builds the car upgrades that face regulatory sabotage, organizes the poker game that defuses the driver feud, and becomes Sonny Hayes's romantic partner. Condon won the IFTA Film & Drama Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role.
Condon studied with real F1 strategist Bernie Collins and went to Barcelona to experience a live race
Condon prepared for the role by meeting real engineers and attending a Formula One race in Barcelona. She was introduced to Bernie Collins, a real-life strategist, to understand the technical director role from the inside.
"I can change a tire, I'm a great driver." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
"Physics and maths were my worst subjects in school." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
"It's very technical and it's not something I'd be good at in real life." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
Filming at live Grand Prix weekends meant no second chances
The production's embedding inside real race weekends gave Condon a theatrical edge she had not expected. Kosinski warned her that the live environment would demand a stage actor's readiness.
"We were a guest of Formula One, and we were a film crew infiltrating their actual job." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
"Your theater background will help, because there's a live aspect to this." — Kerry Condon, quoting Joseph Kosinski, Deadline (2025)
"You've got to be ready. There's nobody waiting for you." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
"I kind of loved the non-princessy vibe." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
The confrontation scene with Pitt grew more intense with each take
One of Condon's key scenes — Kate confronting Sonny early in the film — was shot early in production. Condon described the escalating intensity across multiple takes.
"The more takes we did, the meaner I got." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
"I could get recast if I don't do this good." — Kerry Condon, Deadline (2025)
Kate McKenna is the team's intellectual center and emotional axis
Kate occupies a unique structural position in the film. She is the only character who operates on all three levels of APXGP's story: the engineering level (building the car that makes the team competitive), the interpersonal level (organizing the poker game that forces the drivers to communicate), and the romantic level (becoming Sonny's partner). Her "combat upgrade" speech in beat 16 marks the shift from Sonny as lone wolf to Sonny as team leader.
"Kerry Condon's character arc — discovering herself through connection rather than being 'discovered' — receives particular attention." — Sam Adams, Slate (2025)