I could not help but have a slight smile during my screening of F1 The Movie, seeing fans donning outfits for their favourite motor racing team. If there’s any fanbase that deserves a dedicated film, it’s this sport – it’s an unforgiving commitment; this is a patient sport, which does not sound entirely appealing, but that’s because of the meritocratic nature of it all – one where one team usually dominates – until another team catches up, taking several seasons for an all-time classic for the championship – and that’s where the main drama lies.
But this film understands that the real, absolute loyal supporters – the ones who don their bright orange McClaren jackets on any given day – are interested in all grid positions. You see, Formula 1 is easily the most bitchiest, most political, most egotistical sport there is – ranging from the owner, team principal, race strategist, down to the driver. The social experiment behind it all is the endurance itself – at least that’s why I find it compelling.
Joseph Kosinski (Spiderhead, Top Gun: Maverick) had a clear understanding of all this when directing the film – the political ramifications that go behind managing a racing team, and ultimately, the exhaustion and lack of reward it brings for at least half the grid.
The story follows Sonny Hayes (played by a “dedicated-to-the-cause” Brad Pitt, who I’ve seen more recently in Wolfs), who comes out of retirement to mentor and support a rookie driver at the dwindling Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP), where the vultures are out at the board, looking to undermine the owner, Reuben (Javier Bardem, Monsters; The Little Mermaid; Being the Ricardos), if he does not find results further up the grid. The rookie prodigy in question is Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris, Outside the Wire; Black Mirror), and trying to piece the cars together is the Apex technical director, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin), who, predictably, has a slight love interest with Sonny.
It came as no surprise that this film was created in collaboration with the racing governing body, the FIA, which made an earnest effort to provide access to the production team. Suppose you have been watching Formula 1 recently. In that case, you’d have witnessed the production team attempting to weave themselves into the narrative at specific races, and, I can confirm, this has worked marvelously in the film. It feels like Apex was a part of a season, with their real-life counterparts taking part, naturally, in some scenes to bring authenticity into play, although I am sure this was not a welcome distraction for some of those involved, especially when they’ve had to contend with Netflix’s Drive to Survive crew, a series that new fans love, and the purists often detest.
However, the approach does come with a perspective that may lead to criticism – I often wondered, during the viewing, whether this movie was too “Formula 1”, which I found somewhat egregious to say out loud. But what if a regular film viewer, who has zero engagement with the sport, decides to give this a try? What would they get from it?
What the fans get is a “nerd’s dream.” The film is filled with scripted dialogue on technical aspects like tyre wear, sector times, “Plan A-Plan B-Plan C”, wind tunnels, wets, poorly timed pit stops, well-timed pit stops, FIA interventions, and the overarching inter-team politics. These are all key elements of Formula 1, and the film does a great job of explaining them in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. Fans get as much high-octane racing as they do story, with Formula 1 graphics adding to the realism. I’ll say this – at one point, I forgot I was watching a film, and found myself tracking the race and strategy as if somehow all this experience was real.
Here is my review on TikTok:
@okayyy_dan
Here’s my review of ‘F1 THE MOVIE’ and I’ll let you know if you should watch it ??? #f1tiktok #f1themovie #f1 #motorsport #Formula1 #bradpitt #movierecommendation #filmtok #reviewfilm #moviereview #cinematok #filmcritic #whattowatch #moviestowatch #CapCut
? the biggest listener of lofi hip hop to study on the planet – Michel kempel
But maybe that’s where Brad Pitt comes into play, who has brilliant chemistry with Damson Idris and Kerry Condon, for different reasons, of course. F1 The Movie competes with the technicalities of motorsport racing with a light, humorous script, almost as an attempt to appeal to the audience, showing that this sport is accessible to good, everyday people trying to make something of themselves. The film’s balance of technical details and humor keeps the audience engaged and entertained, ensuring that the drama never becomes too intense, presumably because it never does in real life.
Whether Brad Pitt’s Clint Eastwood era, with a boisterous Damson Idris and an eager-eyed Kerry Condon, will save this for the regular viewers is a question. In many ways, I am biased, given that I watch Formula 1, but maybe that’s me being overly self-aware. There’s undoubtedly an audience for this.
The story pits old versus new – Sonny represents the tried and experienced, while Noah represents the young and naive. Both are egotistical, arrogant, and believe they are faster than the other. The competitiveness and lack of sportsmanship make for a compelling plot, at least from a story arc perspective. As their relationship develops from a competitive one to a friendship-enemy dynamic, the characters become more appealing and relatable.
But also, F1 The Movie respects what it takes to be a racing outfit trying to make small gains; from tenths of a second to a new wing, to the anxiety of a bad crash; if there’s one takeaway that comes from this film is that it is an unforgiving sport, one where teams have to extract every single ounce of energy to overcome a car in front. The script has genuine respect for all people involved, even the pit crew who have to ensure, every time, that a wheel nut locks on properly in under 3 seconds; if not, they are unduly hard on themselves.
F1 The Movie is the ultimate fan film; it’s for the purists. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Seeing fans walk away with a smile on their face was a warming experience – they deserve a cosmos-driven story that appeals to all their obsession.