Ed Sheeran is having a crack at rock stardom, unleashing a gritty new riff-fuelled song dubbed ‘Drive’. And he’s brought along some heavy-hitting passengers along for the ride — none other than Dave Grohl on drums and John Mayer on guitar. The all-star collab is part of the soundtrack for the upcoming F1 movie, a high-octane Formula 1 flick starring Brad Pitt, which hits Aussie cinemas next Thursday, 26th June.
Swapping acoustic ballads for bluesy Audioslave-esque riffs and raspy vocals, Sheeran leans into his most gravel-throated tone yet, belting out the anthemic hook: “Pedal down and driiiiiiiiive.” It’s part rock revival, part stadium sing-along — and tbh it kinda rips?
Ed Sheeran – ‘Drive’
Produced by Blake Slatkin and Mayer himself, ‘Drive’ also features Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee and bass legend Pino Palladino.
Sheeran first teased the track last month on his Insta Story, promoting its appearance on the F1 movie soundtrack. It won’t appear on his upcoming new album, Play (due out Friday, 12th September), which includes previous singles ‘Azizam’, ‘Sapphire’, and ‘Old Phone’.
Meanwhile, it’s another day, another blockbuster collab for Grohl, who’s been racking up soundtrack credits lately — including a recent feature on ‘I Feel Alive’ for The Minecraft Movie. Foo Fighters are also gearing up for a global return in 2025, with dates locked in across Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico (no Australia yet but we’ll keep you looped).
The F1: The Album soundtrack lands next Friday alongside the film and boasts a stacked tracklist with contributions from Rosé, Tate McRae, Raye, Burna Boy, Roddy Ricch, Dom Dolla, Chris Stapleton, Tiësto, Sexyy Red and more.
Further Reading
Watch Eminem Join Ed Sheeran On Stage in Detroit for ‘Lose Yourself’ and ‘Stan’
Ed Sheeran Breaks Record for the Most Tickets Sold to a Single Concert in Australia
Corey Taylor Weighs In On Dave Grohl Affair: “This Does Not Mean He’s Not A Nice Person”
