F1: The Movie is a Thunderous Return to Summer Blockbuster Glory

F1: The Movie

★ ★ ★ ★

F1: The Movie is a grand return to the summer blockbuster. It’s action-packed, thrilling and memorable. Your seat will rumble as the cars roar across the screen and test the theatre woofers. At times, you’ll feel like you’re in an F1 racecar cockpit. This is all weaved into a great script, excellent character development and a story with a helluva lot of heart. Under the roar of the engines, this is a story about redemption, mentorship and the thunderous impact of second chances.

The film begins with intercut scenes of violent ocean waves crashing and shots from a terrible racing accident. The visions are from a nightmare that jolts Sonny (Brad Pitt) awake in the van he calls home. He drives the midnight shift in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He gets in his car, races and puts the team in first place. His team goes on to win as he goes back to bed.

Brad Pitt as Sonny and Javier Bardem as Ruben
© 2025 Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

Ruben (Javier Bardem) owns a Formula 1 race team and things aren’t going well. He’s over $300 million in the hole, and midway through the season, his team has yet to finish in the top 10. Sonny is Ruben’s Hail Mary. The last time he raced F1 was thirty years ago, and we were treated with the outcome at the film’s start.

Sonny eventually joins the team. There’s a promising rookie named Jordan (Damson Idris), who has all the skill, instincts and arrogance but hasn’t matured as a racer to put it all together. His traits often get in the way of each other, and he smiles at the press when he shouldn’t—like after a brutal loss.

It’s up to Sonny to find his way on the track and mentor Jordan, build the team and find a way to win with the resources only an owner millions of dollars in debt can provide. This is a high-octane version of Moneyball where Sonny must find a way to win despite the team’s limitations. But Sonny seems to be a master at finding diamonds in the rough, working with Jordan, Ruben and technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon).

Brad Pitt and Kerry Condon
© 2025 Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

Director Joseph Kosinski’s use of immersive, close-range action cameras—built from custom iPhone tech—pulls the audience into the cockpit, merging documentary realism with blockbuster polish. The story wastes no time moving things along with confident pacing—never rushed, never sluggish.

It’s surprising that this film manages to create near-instant chemistry among the characters. The script, and actors, do a fantastic job creating realistic, three-dimensional characters we might expect to meet if we were observing an actual F1 race team in action.

F1 racecar in action
© 2025 Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

There have been many good movies about racing, but I’m reminded of the last true summer racing blockbuster—Days of Thunder in 1990. There, it was about a cocky young racer at a crossroads in his career, given one last path to the victory lane. It was a technical achievement—thrilling us on the track before action cams could give us impossible footage. The story was deep and rich, and the action on the track reflected the character’s motivations. In F1: The Movie, we’re given something similar, and a little more special. It takes the story beyond the track and gives us a thrilling look at what goes on behind the scenes to make one car beat the others. We understand their motivations, and we’re rooting for them almost immediately.

This is a team-building masterclass within the film’s high-octane chassis. Sonny’s super power is finding ways of pulling the best out of even the most difficult of teammates. We watch him develop as a character as he helps those around him become better versions of themselves. Despite every obstacle thrown their way, and there are plenty, there’s a realistic believability that they might actually pull out a win before the season ends.

The stakes are high. If they pull it off, Jordan’s career might continue. If not, he’s done. If they show they can win, Ruben might convince his board there’s still financial viability in his APXGP team and climb his way out of his massive deficit.

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris
© 2025 Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

This kind of role is a bit old-hat for Pitt. He’s played the character before, and that familiarity might contribute to the film’s detriment, but not by much. He’s good at playing these characters—a man trying to get those around him who don’t understand their constraints to think outside of the box.

Pitt has immediate chemistry with McKenna as they develop a strong professional and romantic relationship. Idris makes the cocky rookie racer come to life in such a way we both empathise with him and want to see him overcome his shortcomings. The film is a lesson in great cinematic casting. The characters gel so well within the confines of the story.

After winning the 24 Hours of Daytona, Sonny’s time with the team is done. The owner begs him to continue but he refuses. He also declines to take his trophy. He’s only interested in the $5,000 bonus check. We immediately get a sense that Sonny’s motivation lies beyond the trophies and the fame. Yet it’s not really about the money either.

The movie asks why they do this? Sonny doesn’t answer. He’s trying to make up for the ghosts in his past, but it’s more than that. It’s the team that drives him and allows him to drive them to victory.

This is more than just a racing movie. It’s a film that will drag you across the finish line believing a team with everything stacked against them can come back from the brink and take the trophy.