What’s It About

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend (Javier Bardem) contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) on the Expensify Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).

MOVIESinMO REVIEW

Let me be straight with you about “F1: The Movie.” This film has some serious issues that go way beyond just being another predictable sports movie. As a Black film critic, I can’t ignore the racial problems that run through this expensive Hollywood production like a bad engine leak. The movie follows Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt, an older white racing driver who comes out of retirement to save a struggling Formula 1 team. He’s paired with Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, a young Black rookie driver who’s supposedly talented but needs the wisdom of his white mentor to succeed. Sound familiar? That’s because Hollywood has been telling this same story for decades. Here’s what really bothers me: the film treats Joshua like he’s some kind of problem that needs fixing. The script paints him as flashy, money-hungry, and obsessed with social media fame. Meanwhile, Sonny is the wise, humble hero who teaches the young Black man about teamwork and what really matters. It’s the classic “white savior” story dressed up in racing suits and expensive cars. The racial dynamics get even more uncomfortable when you realize that Joshua’s character hits almost every stereotype about young Black athletes. He’s portrayed as naturally gifted but lacking discipline and moral guidance. His mother even has to tell him to apologize to the white driver at a press conference. The film completely ignores the real barriers that Black drivers face in Formula 1, choosing instead to focus on Joshua’s supposed character flaws. What makes this worse is that the movie had a chance to do something different. Damson Idris is a talented actor who could have brought depth to this role, but the script doesn’t give him much to work with. Instead of exploring the real challenges of being one of the few Black drivers in a predominantly white sport, the film reduces him to a stereotype who needs saving. The female characters don’t fare much better. Kerry Condon plays Kate McKenna, the team’s technical director and the first woman to hold that position in F1. The movie notes the sexism she endures and promptly drives her to swoon over Brad Pitt’s character. Her work chops were quickly taken off the shelf in favor of lusting after the aging movie star. It’s frustrating to see a competent actor reduced to eye candy. Now on to the good. The racing is fun to watch. Director Joseph Kosinski knows how to film action, and the car sequences feel fast and dangerous. The sound design puts you right in the driver’s seat, and the visual effects are top-notch. If you’re going to see this movie, definitely catch it on the biggest screen possible because the racing footage is impressive. Brad Pitt does what Brad Pitt does best—he looks good and acts cool. His performance as Sonny Hayes isn’t groundbreaking, but it fits the character. He’s charming and confident, even when the script doesn’t give him much depth. The problem isn’t Pitt’s acting; it’s that his character is written as too perfect. Sonny always knows the right thing to do, always makes the right calls, and everyone eventually agrees with him. He’s less of a character and more of a walking solution to everyone else’s problems. The supporting cast tries their best with what they’re given. Javier Bardem plays Ruben, the team owner who’s drowning in debt, but his character feels underdeveloped. The script treats him more like a plot device than a real person with his own story. One thing this movie really gets right is its portrayal of the shady workings and bending of the rules that go on in racing. Sonny does not win solely on talent; he is always employing dubious tactics to get an advantage for his team. This carries some depth for its racing moments, and even makes the racing scenes more compelling than your average sports film. But here’s the thing that really irks me: this movie had a budget of $300 million. That’s an incredible amount of money that could have supported dozens of films by Black directors or told stories that haven’t been told a hundred times before. Instead, we get another expensive movie about how great white guys are at fixing everyone else’s problems. The film runs for over two and a half hours, which is way too long for such a simple story. The pacing is prolonged in the middle, and the personal drama between characters feels blatantly contrived and forced. The romance between Sonny and Kate is especially awkward and unnecessary. What frustrates me the most is the opportunity that could have been represented. Formula 1 racing has a colorful world worth exploring with real stories about barriers, competition, and the consequences of success. The film could have explored what it’s really like to be a Black driver in this sport or what it means to be a woman trying to succeed in a male-dominated field. Instead, it falls back on tired formulas and comfortable stereotypes. The movie also drowns in product placement. Every surface is covered with sponsor logos, and the characters look like walking advertisements. While this might be realistic for the world of F1, it becomes distracting and makes the whole film feel like one big commercial. “F1: The Movie” will probably make a lot of money because it has big stars, loud action, and impressive visuals. Racing fans might enjoy the authentic feel of the sport and the real F1 drivers who appear in the film. But for anyone looking for original storytelling or meaningful character development, this movie comes up short. The film’s biggest sin isn’t that it’s bad—it’s that it’s lazy. With all that money and talent, the filmmakers could have created something special. Instead, they gave us the same old story with the same old problems, just wrapped in a shinier package. If you’re a huge Formula 1 fan, you might find enough to enjoy in the racing scenes. But if you’re looking for a movie that respects its characters and tells a fresh story, you’ll want to skip this one and wait for something better to come along.

OUR RATING – A REPEAT OFFENDER 4

MEDIA

• Genre – Action
• Street date
• Digital – August 22, 2025
• DVD/BluRay/4K  – October 7, 2025
• Video – 1080p
• Screen size – 2.39:1
• Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio descriptive
• Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish

Extras

• Inside the “F1® The Movie” Table Read (featurette) – 5:05. On June 19, 2023, the cast of F1 joined Director Joseph Kosinski and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer at Silverstone for a table read. As excitement and anticipation builds, the cast reminisce on the momentous occasion and reflect on their friendships.
• The Anatomy of a Crash (featurette) – 6:23. One of the most intense scenes in the film was loosely inspired by FORMULA 1 driver Romain Grosjean’s Bahrain crash in 2020. Take an in-depth look at how this technically challenging scene was filmed practically.​
• Getting Up to Speed (featurette) – 5:00. Get the inside track on how Brad Pitt and Damson Idris became racing drivers. Lead driving choreographers Luciano Bacheta and Craig Dolby reveal the hard work and dedication that went into getting the cast behind the wheel and up to speed.​
• APXGP Innovations (featurette) – 5:21. Each year, FORMULA 1 teams make serious engineering and technological advancements to their cars. The same can be said for the F1® crew, who worked hard across departments – sound, camera, RF, rigging, stunts and SFX – and found new ways to innovate.
• Making it to Silverstone (featurette) – 5:04. The first days of filming at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2023 at Silverstone took months, if not years, of planning and rehearsal of the Grid Walk and Formation Lap scenes. The goal: to shoot live without disturbing the integrity of the race.
• Lewis Hamilton: Producer (featurette) – 5:14. When Joseph Kosinski decided to make a film about the world of F1, the first person he called was 7-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton. Filmmakers discuss Hamilton’s value as a producer, how he influenced the script, his set visits and more!​
• APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World (featurette) – 9:17. Welcome to the APXGP garage, designed to fit perfectly into the F1® paddock for filming across the globe. Go beyond the track to see how F1 teams McLaren, Williams, and Mercedes welcomed cast and crew into their factories and team facilities.​
• APXGP and F1®: How it was Filmed (featurette) – 5:53. The cast and crew had one hour to film the exciting Red Flag sequence. As it was the climax of the film and the true culmination of the partnership between filmmakers and FORMULA 1, all 10 teams and cars flocked to the pit lane to participate!​
• Sound of Speed (featurette) – 5:10. Join Hans Zimmer at AIR Studios for the first recording sessions of F1®’s epic score, with Jerry Bruckheimer joining the session to witness the magic. Zimmer reflects on his desire for the sound of the cars to influence the music of the orchestra.​