The film F1: The Movie by director Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed Top Gun: Maverick, has hit the big screens in Ukraine. And among the producers of the film are people who know all the intricacies of the royal races – Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team leader Toto Wolff.
F1: The film is a quality film that at times takes you into real experiences for your favorite racers during Formula 1 stages. For example, at the moment when the heroes overtake Hamilton or Verstappen, you can intuitively root for Lewis or Max.
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At the same time, it feels like an old-fashioned, high-quality blockbuster, with great staging and a slightly touching story about self-development.
After the release of the documentary series Formula 1: Survival Drive on Netflix, it is believed that it influenced the sharp increase in the audience of the royal races. The documentary also contributed to the “rejuvenation” of race viewers – the average age of which fell from 44 to 32 years.
It is therefore possible that Kosinski's film, produced by Formula 1 participants, is another quality marketing move to win new fans and interest the “old-timers”.
F1 Plot: Movie
F1 Plot: The film revolves around the protagonist Sonny Gase, played by 61-year-old Brad Pitt. He is a former young Formula 1 star who fought for a place on the podium with racing legend Ayrton Senna and it was after the confrontation with him that his career was cut short in the 1990s as a result of a terrible accident.
For 30 years, Sonny lives a quiet, nomadic life as a driver looking for extra work. In particular, at the beginning of the film, he participates in the 24 Hours of Daytona. However, one day, fate brings him back to Formula 1. Sonny's former teammate Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem, is now the owner of the APXGP team.
Still from F1: The Movie. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
This team is a complete outsider and has not received a single point in Formula 1 in three seasons. Racing fans can draw a parallel with Caterham F1 Team, which finished the championship without points for three seasons from 2012-2014. But that team stayed in F1 for another year and ended its existence due to bankruptcy, so let's get back to the story.
So Ruben convinces Sonny to return to the circuit as the partner of rising star Joshua Pearce, played by British actor Damson Idris.
Cervantes is taking this step out of desperation, trying to save the team, because due to poor results and a problematic car, he is receiving one driver after another's refusal. Plus, he is on the verge of being removed from his post due to unsatisfactory results.
Still from F1: The Movie. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
At one point, Ruben tells Sonny that Formula One races were once won by drivers over 50. And that's true. In the 1950s, there was a certain Luigi Fagioli, an Italian driver who won a race at the age of 53 at the French Grand Prix in Reims.
With nine rounds left in the season, Sonny joins the team and is confronted with the stereotypes of his young teammate. This immediately develops into a confrontation between the two – an outcome that Cervantes certainly did not expect when he invited Sonny to join the team.
The film also stars Carrie Condon (Banshee Insherina) as Kate, the team's technical director responsible for the design and tuning of the car, Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones) as Peter Banning, who sits on the APXGP board of directors, and Kim Bodnia (The Witcher) as Kaspar Smolinski, their team director.
Still from F1: The Movie. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
There are also plenty of cameos from real Formula 1 drivers (Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz) and their team principals. And Hamilton's dog, the English bulldog Roscoe, is sure to be appreciated by fans.
Review of F1: The Movie
F1: The film is a truly rare phenomenon in world cinema in 2025 with no obvious failures in acting, directing, set design or cinematography. It is a very high-level work that could theoretically qualify for technical nominations at the American Film Academy, which awards the Oscars.
From the first minutes to the end of 2.5 hours, the pictures pass in one breath. And for fans of Formula 1, when the stage can last more than 2-3 hours due to weather or red flags on the track, it will not be long at all.
Still from F1: The Movie. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Films about car racing are always a challenge, as the creators try to create an exciting movie from sports. However, the film's cinematographer Claudio Mirandi managed to make the viewer feel like he is in the race car with the heroes.
During filming, Pitt and other actors drove modified racing cars, so this neutralizes the effect of computer graphics. Also, some scenes were filmed during a real Formula 1 stage.
The film's composer, Hans Zimmer, deserves special mention, as his score is sustained and emotionally precise. But from a subjective point of view, it is not as memorable as Gener8ion's music for Romain Gavras's Athena or Ludwig Göransson's for Oppenheimer. But the film has a powerful soundtrack.
The film F1: The Movie can hardly be called revealing the “kitchen” of Formula 1, but it partially tells about the team: mechanics, pit crew, engineers and the like. In other words, those who are rarely covered in such stories. The film clearly states that no race is won independently and that it is a team effort.
Still from F1: The Movie. Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Although the film does not reveal anything new, it has a logical structure and plot. Some moments are predictable, there are even those that are perceived as a template. But it works. Kosinski managed to make the film dynamic thanks, in particular, to the cast.
Adrenaline is what F1 is all about: The Movie 100%. This film is reminiscent of the 2021 Abu Dhabi race, when Verstappen won the championship in dramatic fashion against Hamilton. It is also a powerful reminder that speed in Formula 1, as in life, is not everything. Instinct and heart are what truly drive champions.
Fortunately, this is not Fast and Furious in all its aspects. The laws of physics and logic apply here, and speed is not a backdrop for show-offs, but the meaning of life. This is not a story for spinoffs, but a sports drama that deserves attention. And you can take your children to see it – there are no erotic scenes and the like.
