Late in F1 (also titled F1: The Movie, so that Formula 1 racing fans know the FIA is officially behind this production), Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) has a moment of introspection with old pal and onetime rival Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) after a near-fatal incident. “What’s wrong with tennis?” Ruben laments, putting into words a criticism of himself and everyone around him who have devoted their lives to participating in a sport which is foolhardy at the best of times. The open question of what appeal racing has beyond cars going dangerously fast looms over the entire enterprise, especially the drivers. What on Earth compels them to keep hitting the gas?
The long history of cinema about racing has generally explained race car driving as an extension of masculine urges. From The Crowd Roars (1932) to Gran Turismo (2023), these films examine racing through the lens of adrenaline junkies, addicts with a death wish, or hot-blooded competitors who sacrifice everything in search of eternal glory. F1: The Movie (2025) doesn’t stray far from this cinematic tradition; Brad Pitt’s has-been driver and Damson Idris’ new contender on the block are racing against themselves as much as each other.
Yet, director Joseph Kosinski — best known for Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Oblivion (2013), and Tron: Legacy (2010) — is also in love with the precise, heroic beauty of a perfect lap, and it’s that aspect which sets F1 apart from the pack.
Brad Pitt and Damson Idris Face Off in F1
Most racing movies take one of several stock approaches to the story that intervenes between time on the track, choosing between things like the soap opera of Grand Prix (1966), the team spirit of Fast Company (1979), the ambition of Days of Thunder (1990), the big business of Ford v Ferrari (2019), and so on. F1 contains elements of all of these, and throws in an additional, heavy dash of Rush (Ron Howard’s 2013 film based on the real-life rivalry between F1 racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda). Ruben Cervantes recruits Sonny Hayes to come race Formula One again for his team, Apex Grand Prix, which is in dire straits, having not yet won a race.
Ruben’s offer promises a second chance at F1 glory — something Sonny failed to achieve in his youth due to a debilitating accident. However, the team owner is really hoping that Hayes’ rebellious tactics will awaken the fame-hungry rookie already on the team, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The plan works a little too well, as Sonny and Joshua engage in a bitter rivalry while the former man finds himself gaining the career he never had, as well as catching the eye of the comely technical director Kate (Kerry Condon). It’s a proven narrative structure that recalls not just prior racing films but also classic ‘90s blockbusters for adults.
F1 Feels Like a Throwback to ’90s Summer Blockbusters
Joseph Kosinski has seemingly made it his business to bring back the ‘90s blockbuster recently. Who knows if it was due to him studying action master Tony Scott while making Top Gun: Maverick, but between that movie, last year’s Twisters (which Kosinski co-wrote), and F1, it’s been feeling more and more like 1996 at the cinema. In addition to the grand visuals — the movie is shot in the full IMAX ratio of 1:90:1 — F1 boasts a pulse-pounding score from Hans Zimmer (his fourth for a racing film!) and wall-to-wall hit needle drops that will appear on an awesome soundtrack album.
While the overall approach feels like a charming throwback (or at least endearingly traditional), the filmmakers may have gotten a little too lost in their reverie. The major beats of the plot will be pretty visible to anyone who’s seen a few sports movies, and it’s up to the viewer to decide whether this is a feature or a bug. Furthermore, screenwriter Ehren Kruger (working from a story by himself and Kosinski) struggles with a handful of underwritten characters, a lack of definition for Apex’s rivals, and the dialogue, which is perfectly functional yet lacks the style and panache that the movie’s visual elements constantly display.
Joseph Kosinski Brings a Fresh Angle to the Racing Scenes
Even if Joseph Kosinski weren’t putting all of his muscle into the racing sequences, the film’s cinematography (in collaboration with Claudio Miranda) is utterly gorgeous. Scenes of people talking in an empty hallway are as much of a visual feast as anything else in F1: The Movie. But Kosinski and company know that folks have come to watch some resplendent, kinetic, visceral racing, and F1 absolutely has you covered on that front. Whether Pitt, Idris, and the other actors did their own driving is beside the point, because clearly someone actually did the hair-raising driving at speed, and it looks nothing short of spectacular.
Countless racing movies have essentially just been overindulgent car exhibitions (the Fast & Furious franchise, for example); Kosinski brings a fresh angle to automotive appreciation here. The former mechanical engineering and architecture student clearly appreciates the beauty inherent in the vehicles on display. This is why his racing sequences don’t emphasize speed, danger, or an enhanced experience (though all of those are included). Instead, he’s appreciating the precise art of race cars and their drivers, a symbiosis of man and machine. Kosinski’s movies have thus far concerned men wrestling with the past as they face the future, and in F1, a new and more beautifully constructed vehicle awaits in these men’s destinies.
F1 is a Movie Made for The Thrill of It
Don’t let anyone accuse Joseph Kosinski of being clinical, however, as he understands the importance of letting good actors take the wheel. Kerry Condon gives her tech director a competitive zeal, Javier Bardem makes even the most corny lines sound like poetry, and Damson Idris lends his hotshot driver some necessary grounding. Finally, Brad Pitt portrays Sonny Hayes as something more complex than a stock veteran gunslinger. Rumor has it that F1 was originally developed as a legacy sequel to Days of Thunder, which might have worked if Top Gun: Maverick didn’t beat it to the punch. Given that it was, a Cole Trickle reprise from Tom Cruise would be in danger of feeling redundant.
Instead, Pitt infuses Sonny with a special mixture of seen-it-all regret and rekindled aspiration. There’s an element of the middle-aged man who isn’t sure if he’s lost his lust for life that’s combined with an almost chivalrous, pioneer-like spirit. For Sonny, racing isn’t merely about taking risks or proving he’s the best in the world. It’s about climbing the mountain because it is there, as was once said, and seeing what other frontiers of speed lie over the next horizon. F1 is a movie after Sonny’s own heart: it’s a film made for the thrill of it.
F1: The Movie hits theaters on June 27!
Release Date: June 27, 2025.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger.
Story by Joseph Kosinski & Ehren Kruger.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Brad Pitt, Lewis Hamilton, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, & Chad Oman.
Executive Producers: Toby Hefferman, Daniel Lupi, & Penni Thow.
Main Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, Kim Bodnia, Shea Whigham, Joseph Balderrama, Sarah Niles, Samson Kayo, Abdul Salis, Callie Cooke, Will Merrick, & Layne Harper.
Cinematographer: Claudio Miranda.
Composer: Hans Zimmer.
Production Companies: Apple Studios, Monolith Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, & Dawn Apollo Films.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures & Apple Original Films.
Runtime: 156 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
