I just watched F1 and wow, what a ride. The movie is about Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt. He's an old race car driver who used to be really good but crashed badly in 1993 and quit racing. Now he's older, gambles too much, and basically wanders around the world doing odd racing jobs.
His old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) owns a struggling F1 team called APXGP. The team is so bad they might get sold, so Ruben asks Sonny to come back and help save it. Sonny agrees and gets paired with Joshua (Damson Idris), a young hotshot driver who thinks he's the best thing ever.
At first, Sonny and Joshua hate each other. Joshua thinks Sonny is too old and washed up. Sonny thinks Joshua is an arrogant kid who doesn't know anything about real racing. But slowly, they start learning from each other. Sonny teaches Joshua the old school ways of racing and how to be smart on the track. Joshua shows Sonny how modern F1 works with all the new technology.
There's also Kate (Kerry Condon), who runs the technical side of the team. She's really smart and starts falling for Sonny, even though he's this messy guy who's been drifting through life.
The whole movie builds up to the final race in Abu Dhabi. By then, Sonny and Joshua are working together as a real team. Sonny gets hurt during the race but keeps going. He sets up what should be the perfect chance for Joshua to win and save the team. But in a twist, Sonny ends up winning instead. The team is saved, and Sonny proves he's still got it.
At the end, Sonny could take a big corporate job, but he decides to keep living his free lifestyle. He gets back together with Kate and goes back to being a traveling racer, but now he's found his purpose again.
Brad Pitt is absolutely perfect in this movie. He plays Sonny like a cool, laid-back guy who's been through a lot but still has that spark inside him. Pitt doesn't try to be flashy or over the top. He just makes you believe this guy really was a great driver who lost his way. When he's gambling in some crappy casino, you feel sorry for him. When he gets in the race car, you can see the fire come back in his eyes.
Damson Idris is great as Joshua. He could have just played the cocky young guy, but he makes Joshua feel real. You understand why he's arrogant - he's talented and knows it. But you also see him grow up and learn respect throughout the movie. The scenes where he and Pitt are fighting and then later working together feel totally genuine.
Kerry Condon is solid as Kate. She's not just there to be the girlfriend. She's clearly the smartest person in the room when it comes to the technical stuff. I just wish the movie gave her more to do, besides fall in love with Sonny.
Javier Bardem brings a lot of heart to Ruben. He's the loyal friend who believes in Sonny even when Sonny doesn't believe in himself. All the scenes between him and Pitt feel like they really are old friends who've been through everything together.
Holy crap, the racing in this movie is incredible. I've seen a lot of car movies, but nothing like this. When they're going 200 mph and battling for position, you feel like you're right there in the car with them. The camera work is insane - somehow they got cameras inside real race cars and made it look amazing.
The coolest part is they used real Formula 1 footage. So you're seeing actual drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen racing alongside the fake APXGP cars. It looks completely real because a lot of it actually is real. They filmed at real race tracks during actual F1 weekends, so everything looks authentic.
The crashes are brutal and scary. When Sonny has his big crash, you really feel the impact. The sound design is incredible too - the engines sound like monsters, and you can hear every gear shift and tire squeal.
The movie looks absolutely gorgeous. They shot it for IMAX, and you can tell. Every shot is crisp and beautiful. The race cars look sleek and fast. The different race tracks around the world - Silverstone, Monaco, Abu Dhabi - all look spectacular.
Hans Zimmer did the music, and it's perfect. He mixes orchestra with electronic sounds to represent both the human drama and the machine aspects of racing. There's this cool musical theme for Sonny that makes him sound like an old-west gunslinger, which fits his character perfectly. During the big race scenes, the music pumps you up without being too much.
The editing keeps everything moving fast. The movie is over 2 and a half hours long, but it never feels boring. They cut between the racing action and the personal drama really well.
This is what makes the movie special. Instead of just making everything up, they worked with actual Formula 1. Real drivers appear in the movie. Real team owners show up. They filmed at real race tracks during real race weekends. The fictional APXGP team fits right into the real F1 world perfectly.
Even the technical stuff feels right. The way they talk about car setups, race strategy, and team politics all sounds like how real F1 actually works. As someone who watches F1, I was impressed by how much they got right.
The main theme is getting a second chance. Sonny screwed up his life and his career, but he gets the opportunity to prove himself again. It's not just about winning races - it's about finding his purpose and becoming the mentor he never had when he was young.
The movie also talks about how old-school racing wisdom still matters even in the high-tech modern world. Sonny's instincts and experience are just as valuable as Joshua's raw speed and modern training.
There's also stuff about loyalty and friendship. Ruben sticks by Sonny even when everyone thinks he's crazy. Kate sees the good in Sonny even when he's at his lowest. These relationships matter more than just winning races.
Now coming to the problems, the story is pretty predictable. You can guess from the beginning that Sonny will prove himself, that he and Joshua will become friends, that the team will succeed. It follows the same pattern as lots of other sports movies.
Some of the racing stuff is unrealistic. Real F1 drivers don't deliberately crash into each other the way they do in the movie. The politics and boardroom drama are more soap opera than real life.
Kate's character needed more development. She's supposed to be this brilliant engineer, but we don't really see her doing much technical work. She mostly just reacts to what the men are doing.
Even though the story is familiar, it is told really well. The racing scenes alone are worth the price of an IMAX movie ticket. Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances in years. The movie looks and sounds amazing.
If you like Formula 1, you'll love seeing the real drivers and tracks. If you don't know anything about F1, you'll still enjoy it as a great action movie with heart.
This is the kind of big, entertaining movie they don't make enough of anymore. It's got a huge movie star, spectacular action, and a story that makes you feel good. Sometimes that's exactly what you want from a movie.
The racing scenes are so good they make you want to watch real Formula 1. The characters are likable, even when they're flawed. Brad Pitt reminds you why he's been a movie star for 30 years.
Go see it in IMAX if you can. This is a movie that's meant to be experienced on the biggest screen possible with the loudest sound system. You'll feel like you're actually at a race.
It's not a perfect movie, but it's a really entertaining one that does exactly what it sets out to do. It's got great action, good characters, and genuine heart. Plus, Brad Pitt is just cool as hell in it.
If you're looking for a fun summer movie that will get your adrenaline pumping, this is it. Just don't expect it to reinvent the sports movie genre. Sometimes the classics work for a reason.
Watch on Apple TV