F1: The Movie. A Fan’s Honest Take.
By someone who lives and breathes Formula 1
When I first heard that Brad Pitt was doing an F1 movie filmed during actual Grand Prix weekends, with the Top Gun: Maverick team behind it and Lewis Hamilton as producer I was genuinely excited. Finally, a film that promised to bring the thrill of Formula 1 to the big screen in a way we’d never seen before. As a lifelong fan, my expectations were sky-high.
And visually? It delivers. But as a film for the fans? It stumbles more than it sprints.
What I Loved in F1 Movie
The F1 Racing Scenes
Let’s start with the good stuff. The on-track action is nothing short of spectacular. Imagine Top Gun, but with carbon fiber and tire smoke instead of fighter jets. The cockpit shots, the roar of the engines, the camera angles it’s all so immersive that you almost feel like you’re in the driver’s seat yourself. It’s fast, loud, and intense in all the right ways.
Knowing that Brad Pitt and Damson Idris actually drove the cars (F2 cars modified to look like F1 machines) made those sequences even more believable. The opening scene—Pitt racing through the night at Daytona hooked me right in. And they didn’t overdo the CGI either. Using real-life crash footage, like Martin Donnelly’s horrifying accident from 1990, added some brutal realism.
Integration With Real F1
As a fan, it was honestly fun seeing how they wove a fictional team APX GP into the actual F1 paddock. The movie gave us cameos from real drivers and team principals, plus glimpses inside Mercedes’ simulator and Williams’ wind tunnel. That felt like a love letter to people like me who’ve followed the sport for years.
Where It Went Off Track
The F1 Storyline? Meh.
Here’s the thing: all the high-speed glamor in the world can’t make up for a flat story. The plot is just too predictable. It tries to play it safe and, in doing so, robs F1 of what makes it truly exciting rivalries, rule-bending, politics, mind games.
They toy with the classic trope of a cocky rookie versus a grizzled veteran (Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes), but it never fully develops. And just when you think it’s building to something deeper, it fizzles out. Even the attempt to add a villain near the end feels like an afterthought.
Honestly, the script lacks emotional punch. Compare it to Rush or Ford v Ferrari both movies had heart, great characters, and unforgettable dialogues. F1: The Movie? It looks stunning, but you don’t really feel much for the people in it.
Too Many Rule-Bending Moments
Now, I’m fine with a little Hollywood exaggeration. But come on Hayes intentionally triggers Safety Cars multiple times to help his teammate score points… and he gets celebrated for it? That’s not clever strategy, that’s borderline cheating. Anyone who knows about the 2008 Crashgate scandal will know how serious that would be in real life. It left me wondering: is this how we want to introduce F1 to newcomers?
Female Characters Deserved Better
I appreciate that the movie tries to be inclusive there’s a female Technical Director (played by Kerry Condon) and women in the pit crew. But unfortunately, most of these characters are written in a way that undermines their roles.
Condon’s character, Kate McKenna, only manages to make a good car after Pitt’s character tells her to design it for “combat.” Really? And her arc as a love interest felt unnecessary and undercooked. Another female character, Jodie, is constantly dropping tools and messing up pit stops early in the film. It felt like a wasted opportunity to portray capable women in a male-dominated sport.
So, Is F1 Movie Worth Watching?
Absolutely but with a big caveat.
If you’re an F1 fan like me, go in with your expectations checked. Don’t look for accuracy, complexity, or emotional depth. Just strap in and enjoy the ride, because the race scenes alone make it a cinematic spectacle.
If you’re new to the sport, you’ll probably walk out of the theater thinking F1 is the coolest thing ever. And maybe that’s what the film really set out to do bring more people into this crazy, high-speed world we love.
Final thought on F1 Movie
F1: The Movie is a popcorn flick in racing gloves. It looks incredible, sounds amazing, and will thrill your senses. Just don’t expect it to capture the soul of Formula 1.
