With its officially-licensed F1 movie, Liberty Media hopes to repeat the success it enjoyed with Drive to Survive on the big screen.
As long-term F1 fans have come to understand, that means a product pitched squarely at the mainstream. This is logical for a film intended as a promotional vehicle.Even so, many attached to the project, including co-producer Lewis Hamilton, have been at pains to stress their commitment to authenticity. So can “F1: The Movie” successfully appeal to a mainstream cinema audience while catering for existing motorsport fans eager to see a full-scale Hollywood production based on F1?
Early reviews gave a mixed picture, skewing positive but within a range of two to four stars. Several also made comments along the lines of: ‘F1 fans will love it, but…’ In other words, the opposite of what Liberty Media wants from this venture.
Formula 1 provided an incredible degree of access to events on the grand prix calendar. This was not quite “unprecedented” as they claimed – John Frankenheimer got their first with “Grand Prix” – but that film is almost as old as Pitt himself.
Pitt was born 18 years before Fernando Alonso and is three years older than anyone who has ever taken the start for a grand prix. Inevitably the first question ‘F1: The Movie’ faces is whether he is therefore believable as a racing driver.
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His character, Sonny Hayes, originally left F1 after a crash in 1993, and therefore would have to be 50 today (the character’s age is not stated). So it’s less a question of whether Pitt can ‘get away’ with playing that much younger than himself and more a matter of whether a driver in their sixth decade could still cut it in F1. Alonso is well on his way towards finding out…
Pitt is not an uncontroversial choice of leading star. The film revolves around his character; the others are largely defined by their relationships to him. His rapport with Cervantes is believable but the same can’t be said for others.
His team mate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) follows an obvious path of grudgingly gaining respect for the hired hand. He also plays up to the media in a manner which is incomprehensible at times.
Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), APX GP’s technical director, does serve a narrative function besides falling for Hayes’ charms. But credulity snaps when she responds to his urging to “build the car for combat” by asking: “How am I supposed to make that safe?”
The main attraction of films like this is the racing action, and here “F1: The Movie” does not disappoint. It was crafted through a combination of real racing footage from the 2023 and 2024 seasons plus footage of the actors and various stunt drivers at the wheel of Formula 2 cars adapted with F1-esque bodywork.
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The combined effect is utterly convincing. Six decades of technological advances since ‘Grand Prix’ have allowed the filmmakers to blend real racing action with genuine footage in a seamless fashion.
The greatest irony of “F1: The Movie” is that the most riveting racing doesn’t feature a single grand prix car. The film peaks early with its opening sequence shot at the Daytona 24 Hours. The wheel-to-wheel racing and late-braking moves, plus the visual feast of blazing brakes and glowing headlights at night set the bar high. Later F1 scenes revolving around tyre choices, exploitation of arcane rules and even talk of the wretched “DRS train” can’t measure up to this.
The film is weakest where the racing and the plot intersect. Hayes’ value to APX is less his speed, which is pretty much taken for granted from the off, and more his ability to call unorthodox strategies from the cockpit. Expect much eye-rolling from F1 strategists.
Kosinski crafts his film for an audience which may know nothing about F1, which is fine. But he also seems to think they won’t understand anything which isn’t pointed out to them by two different characters in quick succession. If good storytelling is ‘show, don’t tell’, this is ‘show, then tell, then have David Croft and Martin Brundle say it again’.
Like Mercedes on a cool day, there are times when “F1: The Movie” comes good. There are moments of real humour which bring relief from the endless exposition and more predictable exchanges by the hospital bed or at the poker table. However contrived the plot, the technical feat of the race footage is genuinely impressive. And Hamilton deserves credit for making good on his desire to present a vision of a more diverse series than F1 is today.
But “F1: The Movie” offers a vision of the championship which is obsessed with the banality of regulations and stewards’ decisions. The real joy of motor sport is largely absent until the final lap.
This is a world where gambling invariably trumps driving ability. Where races are won less by skill than exploiting obscure areas of the rule book. Up on the big screen, Liberty Media’s vision of F1 looks awfully small.
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RaceFans rating
“F1: The Movie” opens in cinemas in most territories today and in North America on Friday 27th June.
Motorsport film reviews
- “Le Mans ’66” (aka “Ford v Ferrari)” reviewed (2019)
- “Rapid Response” reviewed (2019)
- “1: Life on the Limit” reviewed (2014)
- “Rush” reviewed (2013)
- “Senna” – the Ayrton Senna movie reviewed (2010)
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BasCB (@bascb)
25th June 2025, 8:15
I do think I will go and see it, but to me this movie seems to clearly do a better job than movies like Days of Thunder or “Drivel”, but will struggle to get to the good story told in Rush and certainly Ford vs. Ferrari.
Then again, I am happy they made this movie.
JackL
25th June 2025, 15:48
It sounds incredibly authentic. “Later F1 scenes revolving around tyre choices, exploitation of arcane rules and even talk of the wretched “DRS train” can’t measure up to this.” Thats what we talk about on any given weekend. So its a great intro to new fans to what F1 has become.
mark bloem
26th June 2025, 7:30
I saw the movie yesterday. And I thougt it was fantastic. I expected to be dissipionted but the images inside the cockpit deserve to be seen on the big screen. I was drawn in to the movie right from the start. The story is oke. What can you expect from a two hour movie. But the racingscenes were awesome!!
BasCB (@bascb)
26th June 2025, 13:16
Good to see that Mark!
BasCB (@bascb)
30th June 2025, 13:29
Well, Mark Bloem, I have to agree with you – those racing scenes (mostly, some were a bit of taking Magnussens’ driving last season and dialling the volume up to 11) really worked for me. I had a lot of fun watching it yesterday, even though the “depth” of the story is about teenager comics level, there are some moments where the story show some character development (be it, doing what would take long shortened down into 150 minutes of movie).
I will be watching it again next week with my wife.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
25th June 2025, 8:58
I really want to see it. Just to unplug my brain and watch something I fancy.
I’m on the minority that loves Drive, because of how bad it is. And I quite liked the car shots they got. Also it’s sort of a way to preserve a precise moment in the sport, in the sense that you get to see (and sort of feel) what Champcar was back in those days. In 20 years time, maybe people will look back to F1, the movie and feel the same way.
I still believe, tho, that for presenting the sport to a much wider audience that probably doens’t know much of the history of the sport, they should’ve tied a bunch of real-life stories from way back, like Rush, rather than making us believe a dude can realistically come back to the sport after more than 30 years.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
25th June 2025, 9:45
You are not in the minority, you are the minority!
Sports films generally are rubbish, especially the ‘action’ bits. Rush was a great story and Lauda particularly well cast but the action scenes of an f1 car dicing at 56mph on a straight were woeful. Probably the best fictionalised account of a true story was ‘Senna.’
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
25th June 2025, 10:23
True, that’s why you’ve got to go to the cinema with your brain unplugged.
I think Days of Thunder also made a good job there, even if exaggerated with the bumping is racing. There’s a small montage in the beginning of the movie when Cole is getting hammered at the track (that bit with “gimme some lovin'”) which is particularly good IMO.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
25th June 2025, 13:05
I loved Days of Thunder but I wasn’t really in touch with what it was in real life. Like a musician at a rubbish gig, it’s difficult to unplug your brain when you know something is wrong
James Reyome
25th June 2025, 22:16
Regarding DoT: I was an official at a Winston Racing Series track in Kentucky when it was released, and the track owner took all of us ‘redshirts’ to the premiere in our city (Louisville) courtesy of RJR. In our Winston uniforms, of course. The first twenty minutes or so we were all cheering, as in, YES! SOMEBODY GETS IT! Except…the subsequent 85 minutes didn’t live up to the first 20, and the cheers stopped and the jeers began. Before it was over with, things were being thrown at the screen.
baasbas
26th June 2025, 8:28
@tonymansell
You can’t ‘unplug’ when you know something is wrong.. I feel I’m even worse. What do you think of ‘action scenes’ where they dub tire screeching sound effects over a car driving away… on a dirt road.
It can stain a good movie. Terminator 2 is rightfully regarded as something with amazing special effects. But when I see the dirt bike scene, I can’t ‘unplug’ the CR80 sounds they dubbed over the XR100.
João
25th June 2025, 10:51
I wasn’t really interested and am only going to this because a fellow F1 fan invited me. Now, I’m perfectly capable of taking my racing fan hat off and watching this without that bias, but as the good article by Keith points out, it seems to be bare minimum effort storytelling. And I fail to see why they shouldn’t have put the same effort in as they did for the production values.
There are good blockbusters around,(Ridley Scott can do it, Spielberg, Dennis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan, etc..) I don’t want to normalise brainless mediocrity.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
25th June 2025, 11:19
As has been said above it is probably going to be a “Switch off your F1 brain” before watching.
It is just Hollywood trying to make money by entertaining people … that’s what they do.
I used to be a rock climber and when “Cliffhanger” came out, me and my mates just had to go to see it.
Yes, it was farcical nonsense to us as climbers, but it was a laugh and a fun night out (a nice break from being at the gym or on the wall)
No one should ever take themselves or their hobbies/interests too seriously.
Alan Dove
25th June 2025, 13:27
Not recently
anon
25th June 2025, 16:34
Judging by some of the replies here, it looks like they’re not listening to your suggestion to not take things too seriously.
praxis (@praxis)
25th June 2025, 11:34
F1 is getting back more into mainstream now, right? This movie will hopefully help with that. I thought F1 did lose global popularity and recognition since the end of Schumacher era and OEM withdrawals between 2008-2010.
Ideals (@ideals)
25th June 2025, 12:13
Woah there Keith, no need for Toto to be catching strays here :D
Thompson (@machinesteve)
25th June 2025, 12:30
“….a vision of the championship which is obsessed with the banality of regulations and stewards’ decisions….. Where races are won less by skill than exploiting obscure areas of the rule book.” Yep thats todays F1 for sure.
Cranberry
25th June 2025, 14:14
“Like Mercedes on a cool day, there are times when “F1: The Movie” comes good.”
How hard do we thing Toto smashed the table, when his eyes stumbled through this line?
floodo1 (@floodo1)
25th June 2025, 14:14
I’m sure it’s as realistic as Top Gun lol
Scalextric (@scalextric)
25th June 2025, 15:16
And the Ballard of Ricky Bobby
Phil Clarke
25th June 2025, 14:31
In regard to the storyline, there is so many incredible moments/ seasons, that would have made perfect storylines, brawn’s season being one
Electroball76
25th June 2025, 14:59
So did he have enough points for his Super Licence, or did the FIA make an exception in this case?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
25th June 2025, 15:48
APX didn’t ask for a minimum age restriction waiver, that’s for sure.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th June 2025, 6:47
Champions superlicense are forever so understandable storywise.
Electroball76
26th June 2025, 13:51
Thank you, I did not know that.
They’ve surely got to at least have the correct recent experience. Mika Häkkinen or Mansell are unlikely to get a seat in a current F1 team.
I presume Brad Pitt’s character was racing endurance or Indy when he made his return.
A bit like Brendon Hartley etc.
Alonslow
25th June 2025, 16:11
Some guy retiring in 1993 and coming back 32 years later is just real dumb, you don’t need to be a F1 fan to know that, ‘Sonny Hayes’ is clearly way too old and Pitt even older.
But hey maybe this is a sign that Mika is finally coming back from his sabbatical.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
25th June 2025, 16:13
“But “F1: The Movie” offers a vision of the championship which is obsessed with the banality of regulations and stewards’ decisions. The real joy of motor sport is largely absent until the final lap.”
Yes, they should have included Pirelli’s antics, but that would never have made it past the lawyers.
bull mello (@bullmello)
25th June 2025, 19:14
I would watch the movie, without bias. After all, it is only a movie, it is not F1 actually.
The TV show Drive to Survive is worthless. Never watch it. Tried it for 5 seconds. Totally banal, hackneyed.
But, movies are different. The Grand Prix movie I watched it when I was about 12 years old. Was into F1 already. Good movie, watched it once in a while over the years. Especially for the times when it was made, the racing parts, camera tech etc. Yes, it was not F1, even then. But, still good.
I will probably watch the F1: The Movie. Still not F1, but that is ok.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th June 2025, 20:53
This is one of the more optimistic reviews I’ve seen so far. Unfortunately I am hopeless at switching my brain off for films, because to “go with” a film’s flow, I need to find something to hold onto, otherwise every emotional and visual effect the film is trying to do will likely be wasted.
It looks like I will be going tomorrow whether I want to or not… because Dad’s insisted most of the family goes… because the cinema is nearly empty and it seems the cinema needed help getting enough people to have the screening (it looks like our group, which easily fits into a regular family car, is going to double the number of people at the screening). I have chocolate raisins and hope I don’t also need a book…
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
26th June 2025, 23:50
Reporting after seeing the film: how did those special effects get approved without a photosensitivity warning? Some of them had so much flickering and solid-colour high-contrast colour changes that it was painful to watch some of the racing scenes (the last half of the Monza race was especially bad).
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
26th June 2025, 23:52
(Also, it’s day 2 and my screen, which is meant to be able to seat 400 people, had 7 people in there, only 3 people made it to the end and I only did so because a) I had a break partway through the film and b) I was relying on one of the other 2 for transport home. If that’s in any way representative, then UK reception of this film is making Driven’s look good).
Stevan Vasiljević
25th June 2025, 22:18
Just saw the movie. As I expected, it was a fun watch. Racing scenes are exciting. Plot was surprisingly good and it helps enhance the racing action. Certainly it is not a masterpiece. And be prepared for many “that’s not how Formula 1 works” moments. But there is nothing cringe inducing. In the movie world’s logic events work well and I could easily wave it pass.
So, I recommend the movie, I give it 4/5. If you like F1, you will like the movie. I still rate “Rush” much higher.
Alex Gillon
25th June 2025, 22:52
I’m a self confessed F1 nerd and I thought the movie was great. I read the reviews like this one beforehand and was worried, but it was an enjoyable movie. I found it mostly realistic, with some Hollywood creative licence thrown in. WAY better than Drive To Survive, which I’ve never managed to get through a full season of due to the inaccuracies
My advice to everyone would be to go and watch it as you would any movie. If you go in like this reviewer intending to take a fine tooth comb to everything, you won’t enjoy it. But that’s true of pretty much every movie ever
XV
26th June 2025, 0:11
As this is a movie, it is a given that realism has to cede to entertainment and a need to appeal to an audience beyond just grand prix fans.
But some things are just hard to swallow. Like, an American? Capable of winning F1 races? Ridiculous.
MacLeod (@macleod)
26th June 2025, 6:50
I am going to see the movie as I am for the onboard action (storywise it’s hollywood) and why I went watching Grandprix ’66.
MichaelN
26th June 2025, 8:24
Heard some good things about that in particular. No surprise given their experience with literally fighting jets, but that’s still good to hear.
One of the things TV just doesn’t capture well is the speed. F1 cars, for all the complaints about them, are still ridiculously fast. If they can sell that to the general audience, that’ll be a win.
Mayrton
26th June 2025, 8:15
This brief sentence says it all I guess. Liberty Media’s vision as a company towards any of their franchises is small: generate revenue by attracting large numbers of people. True fans are typically small niche audiences. You have to bring in the mass that doesn’t even care about the sport. So cue the DTS-es, Brad Pitts and cheap thin story lines catered to the small minded. Sign of the times. Maybe one day humanity will prove to be better, but I do not expect any display of it for the coming decades. It is a run to the bottom I am afraid.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
26th June 2025, 16:43
Its a film man
I have an opinion
27th June 2025, 2:12
Movie needs this scene
rprp
28th June 2025, 13:11
Just seen it. F1 (the movie) is precisely what F1 (the company) and the FIA (the company/governing body) want F1 (the sport) to be.
Now I hope they (F1, FIA – the companies) have got it out of their system and stop contriving to make F1 (the sport) artificially full of Hollywood storylines.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
29th June 2025, 9:12
Went to this with pretty open mind, and was left with mixed feelings. The film looks amazing at times: seeing an F1 car attack Maggots and Becketts on a huge screen is a vision you do not want to miss.
Then the film has some Driven-level stupidity. I was genuinely waiting for a street racing scene during the Las Vegas weekend… And the race commentary was ridiculous. It felt like I was listening to an updated commentary from PlayStation’s F1’97.
The drama-side of the film was seriously lacking. There were too many characters and yet none of them received much development.
However, even with a run time of 2½ hours, I was not bored with the film. Probably worth seeing only on the big screen, as you miss much of the visuals when viewed at home.