Joseph Kosinski knows how to make speed feel like art. With F1, he takes the audience trackside, then throws them right into the driver’s seat. Forget green screens. This one uses real F1 cars, live circuit footage, and cockpit cameras that catch every heart-racing second. Whether or not you follow motorsport, these sequences land with a punch. It’s loud, fast, and shot like Kosinski wants your pulse to match the RPM.
Brad Pitt: Cool, Collected, and Surprisingly Grounded
In the role of Sonny Hayes, a once-great racer pulled back onto the track, Brad Pitt doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but he doesn’t need to. There’s a quiet charm to how he plays it. No over-the-top speeches or dramatic breakdowns, just a guy who’s been around the block and still has something to prove. Pitt doesn’t carry the movie on his back, but he steadies it when it swerves.
A Win at the Box Office for Apple
For a studio still testing the waters theatrically, Apple’s bet on F1 seems to have paid off. The film opened strong globally, outpacing expectations, especially in India, where it had a healthy run against some tough competition. It’s no secret that Formula 1’s popularity is peaking worldwide, thanks in part to the Netflix docuseries, and this film rides that momentum like a slipstream.
Racing World Rendered with Precision
What makes F1 feel authentic isn’t just the gear shifts or track shots. It’s the presence of real F1 teams, actual race engineers, and cameos from drivers that make the whole thing feel lived-in. Lewis Hamilton, one of the sport’s biggest names, had a hand in producing the film, and you can tell. There’s an insider’s touch here that’s hard to fake.
What Went Right
1. The Racing Sequences Hit Hard
The biggest win? The racing, without a doubt. It’s loud, fast, and genuinely intense. Not the over-edited kind, but the kind that makes your stomach twist a little. Because they used real cars and actual F1 circuits, there’s weight behind every turn. You’re not watching actors on a green screen; you’re watching machines being pushed to their limit. That energy is hard to fake, and the film doesn’t try to.
2. Brad Pitt Feels Comfortable,
Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes with the ease of someone who knows when to hold back. He’s not delivering dramatic monologues or chasing emotional breakdowns. Instead, he just fits the space, quiet, focused, and believable. It’s the kind of performance where not much happens, but you still buy into him completely. Even when surrounded by noise and chaos, he never feels out of place.
3. The Film Knows Its Audience Is Already Here
One smart thing F1 does is skip the basics. There’s no long-winded intro about what Formula 1 is or how the sport works. It knows people are already into it, thanks to Drive to Survive, Twitter highlights, and YouTube clips of pit stops gone wrong. The film doesn’t waste time. It just drops you in and trusts you’ll keep up. And most viewers do.
4. The Involvement of Real F1 Names Shows
You can tell this wasn’t made from the outside looking in. Real teams, familiar faces from the paddock, and technical consultants keep the details sharp. It doesn’t feel like a movie pretending to know racing; it feels like it came from inside the sport. That authenticity makes even simple scenes at the garage or in the paddock feel legit.
5. It pulled the crowd!
For a film backed by a tech company best known for phones and streaming shows, F1 made a solid impact in theatres. It opened well internationally, especially in India, where it outperformed other big releases during its opening days. That kind of reception, for a racing movie, says a lot. The brand, the buzz, and Pitt’s face on the poster worked in its favour.
What Went Wrong
1. You’ve Seen This Story Before
From comeback arcs to underdog teams, F1 doesn’t stray far from the sports movie playbook. The beats are familiar: failure, doubt, redemption. That doesn’t make it bad, but it does make it easy to predict.
2. Most Characters Run Out of Fuel Early
Outside of Pitt, most characters don’t get much space to grow. Javier Bardem, for instance, plays a grizzled team boss with potential, but the script never gives him a chance to evolve. It’s a wasted opportunity.
3. Two-and-a-Half Hours is a Long Ride
The movie clocks in at about 150 minutes, and you feel it, especially during the midsection. Some scenes linger too long without adding much, which slows down the momentum between races.
4. More Branding Than Drama at Times
Because of the deep involvement from real teams and sponsors, certain stretches of the film come off like polished promos for Formula 1. It looks gorgeous, sure, but it can feel a bit too clean, too controlled.
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5. Women Deserved Better Roles
This is a film where the female characters are either technical assistants or love interests, or both. They aren’t given much personality or agency, which stands out in a film trying to be modern and inclusive.
Final Thoughts: More Than Worth Watching, But Less Than Great
F1 is an easy film to recommend if you’re into racing, action, or simply want to see what real cars and tracks look like on a giant screen. Pitt’s grounded performance and Kosinski’s eye for high-speed drama make it an entertaining ride. But it doesn’t break any new ground narratively, and you’ll likely forget the story even if you remember the sound of the engines.
It races well, but never quite takes the risk of leaving the track.
Writer – Subham Choudhary