A fake engagement, a scandal-hit world champion and a mechanic who secretly wants a race seat of her own. Drive – The Pretenders feels like a whirlwind tour of European racing, from city landmarks to the Amalfi Coast. The surprise? Most of it was shot in the Czech Republic, in and around Prague and at two Czech racetracks.
Here’s every confirmed filming location, what’s known about the scenes shot there, and which places you can actually visit.
Drive – The Pretenders at a Glance (TL;DR)
- Where it was filmed: Mainly the Czech Republic (Prague, Brno, Most, Říčany, Poděbrady, Barrandov Studios), plus the Hockenheimring and Frankfurt in Germany and the Amalfi Coast in Italy
- Racing scenes: The Masaryk Circuit in Brno, Autodrom Most and the Hockenheimring
- Release date: October 28, 2026, worldwide on Prime Video (runtime 1 hr 42 min)
- Director: Sergej Moya
- Cast: Lisa-Marie Koroll (Sarah Jenkins), Amin Baahmed (Dante Annunziata), Gustav Schmidt, Mišel Matičević, Lucie Heinze, Inka Friedrich, Jeanette Hain, Leslie Malton
- Based on: Drive, the Wattpad novel by Tamara Lush
- Filming dates: September to early November 2025 (26 of those days in the Czech Republic)
What Is Drive – The Pretenders About?
Sarah Jenkins (Lisa-Marie Koroll) is a mechanic at the Eagle Racing team who has dreamed of driving since her karting days. Dante Annunziata (Amin Baahmed) is the reigning world champion, fast on track and a walking scandal off it. When a photo of the two of them gets misread, the team asks Sarah to play his fiancée. Officially, it’s to fix his image. Secretly, it’s her shot at the cockpit, plus help with her family’s debts (K-waves and Beyond, Serienjunkies).
It’s a German-language film from Bavaria Fiction and Amazon MGM Studios Germany (About Amazon).
Where Was Drive – The Pretenders Filmed?
The production company, Bavaria Fiction, lists the shoot as Prague and its surroundings, the racing circuits in Brno and Most, the Hockenheim circuit, Frankfurt and the Amalfi Coast. The Czech Film Commission adds the exact Czech spots and dates: 26 shooting days between September 10 and October 24, 2025.
A quick note on scenes: the production hasn’t published a scene-by-scene breakdown. Below, a scene is only tied to a location when a source says so. Everything else is listed as a confirmed location without guessing what was filmed there.
Prague Filming Locations
Prague comes first on the production’s location list (Bavaria Fiction), and the Czech Film Commission names these specific city spots.
Pařížská Street
Pařížská is Prague’s luxury shopping avenue, running from the Old Town Square to the Vltava through the old Jewish Quarter. Think designer boutiques, Art Nouveau facades and tree-lined pavements. It’s listed alongside Ostrovní, a street in the New Town near the National Theatre (Czech Film Commission).
Which scene was filmed here hasn’t been made public.
Can you visit? Yes, it’s a public street. Go early morning for empty pavements and photos without the crowds. <!– Image: Pařížská street, Prague –>
Rudolfinum
The Rudolfinum is a grand neo-Renaissance concert hall on Jan Palach Square, right on the river, and home of the Czech Philharmonic. It’s one of the confirmed Prague locations for the film (Czech Film Commission).
Can you visit? Yes. The easiest way inside is to book a concert, and the building also offers guided tours on selected dates. <!– Image: Rudolfinum, Prague –>
Municipal House (Obecní dům)
The Municipal House is Prague’s Art Nouveau showpiece, next to the Powder Tower, with the gilded Smetana Hall inside. It’s another confirmed location (Czech Film Commission), though which scene was filmed here hasn’t been made public.
Can you visit? Yes. The ground-floor café and restaurant are open to anyone, and guided tours take you into the halls upstairs.
The Hotels: Boscolo and President
The Czech Film Commission’s list also names a Hotel Boscolo and a Hotel President. Prague has well-known hotels under both names, but the list pairs them with Poděbrady and Říčany and doesn’t spell out which property was used, so treat these as unconfirmed for now (Czech Film Commission).
The Racetracks: Where the Racing Scenes Were Filmed
Masaryk Circuit (Automotodrom Brno)
The Masaryk Circuit, also called Automotodrom Brno, is named as the film’s motorsport venue (Primetimer). Bavaria Fiction lists the racing circuits in Brno among its main locations (Bavaria Fiction), and reviewers point to Brno for the on-track action (Fiction Horizon).
The circuit sits in the hills just west of Brno, the Czech Republic’s second city, and is best known for its long history of hosting the Czech motorcycle Grand Prix.
Can you visit? Yes, on race weekends and public events. Check the circuit’s event calendar before you go, since it’s closed to casual visitors on most other days.
Autodrom Most
Most, in north Bohemia, is the second Czech circuit. Bavaria Fiction names “the racing circuits in Brno and Most” (Bavaria Fiction), so Autodrom Most was used for racing sequences too.
Can you visit? Yes, during events. Autodrom Most hosts car and motorbike races, track days and driving courses, so it’s one of the few places where you can get a taste of Sarah’s dream yourself.
Hockenheimring, Germany
Across the border in Baden-Württemberg, the Hockenheimring was also used (Bavaria Fiction, Kinofans). It’s a former home of the German Formula 1 Grand Prix, which makes it a natural choice for a story about a world champion.
Can you visit? Yes. The Hockenheimring hosts races and events year-round, and its on-site motorsport museum is a good stop for fans.
Studios and Smaller Czech Towns
Barrandov Studios
Some indoor scenes were filmed at Barrandov Studios in Prague, according to Primetimer. Barrandov is one of Europe’s oldest and largest film studios, open since the 1930s.
Can you visit? Not as a walk-in. It’s a working studio.
Hexar Studio, Chrášťany
Hexar Studio in Chrášťany, just west of Prague, is listed by the Czech Film Commission (Czech Film Commission). Hexar is a film equipment rental company with its own studio space (Czech Film Commission).
Can you visit? No, it’s a production facility.
Říčany and Poděbrady
The Czech list also includes Říčany, a small town just southeast of Prague, and Poděbrady, a spa town on the Elbe about an hour east of the capital (Czech Film Commission). What was filmed in each hasn’t been published.
Can you visit? Yes, both are easy day trips from Prague. Poděbrady is the prettier pick, with its riverside spa park, colonnade and castle.
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt is on both Bavaria Fiction’s and Kinofans’ location lists (Bavaria Fiction, Kinofans). The specific spots and scenes haven’t been revealed, so there’s no confirmed spot to visit here yet.
The Amalfi Coast, Italy
The crew also filmed on Italy’s Amalfi Coast (Bavaria Fiction). One reviewer describes it as the film’s jet-set backdrop (Fiction Horizon).
The exact towns haven’t been named, so there’s no confirmed “Drive” spot to stand on yet. But the whole coast, from Positano to Amalfi and Ravello, delivers the same cliffs-and-sea views.
Can you visit? Yes. Go in May, June or September for warm weather without the peak summer crowds, and use the ferries between towns rather than driving the famously narrow coast road.
FAQ
Where was Drive – The Pretenders filmed?
Mostly in the Czech Republic: Prague, the racetracks in Brno and Most, Barrandov Studios, Říčany and Poděbrady. Extra filming took place at the Hockenheimring and in Frankfurt (Germany) and on the Amalfi Coast (Italy).
Where were the racing scenes in Drive – The Pretenders filmed?
At the Masaryk Circuit (Automotodrom Brno) and Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic, and at the Hockenheimring in Germany.
Was Drive – The Pretenders filmed in Italy?
Yes. The Amalfi Coast is one of the production’s confirmed locations, though the exact towns haven’t been named.
Is Drive – The Pretenders a real Formula 1 story?
No. It’s a fictional romance based on Tamara Lush’s Wattpad novel Drive, set in the world of top-level motorsport.
When was Drive – The Pretenders filmed?
From September to early November 2025. The Czech part of the shoot ran from September 10 to October 24, 2025.
Where can you watch Drive – The Pretenders?
It’s streaming on Prime Video worldwide from October 28, 2026.
Can you visit the Drive – The Pretenders filming locations?
Most of them, yes. Pařížská, the Rudolfinum and the Municipal House in Prague are open to the public, the racetracks open on event days, and the Amalfi Coast is one of Europe’s classic road trips. The studios are closed to visitors.
