F1 stars Brad Pitt in a movie that has as much to say about the individuals who compete in Formula One racing as it does about the sport itself. It’s equal parts riveting on the tracks, and it’s insightful, albeit somewhat clichéd, off the tracks. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop this movie from mostly putting its pedal to the metal.
Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a retired race car driver who wants to stay out of the spotlight. Sonny was the victim of a car crash back in the ’90s, and now he lives out of his van and lives a nomadic existence while he occasionally races. Javier Bardem costars as his former racing partner, now an F1 team owner who attempts to recruit Sonny to join his team and secure a victory.
Sonny has his reservations about joining, but he eventually accepts the offer. It’s here where he meets a new, young, British and cocky rookie named Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) who thinks Sonny can’t handle all the new advancements in F1 racing and thinks he’s too old to be behind the wheel. Their relationship is one of obvious contention, which is one of the many clichés this movie checks off.
Kerry Condon plays a female technical director on the team, and she switches back and forth from sternly lecturing about how to keep Pearce’s ego under control to falling in love with Sonny.
The racing scenes are intense and full-throttle, as the movie showcases the vehicles’ impressive speed. It’s much more convincing as we can see Pitt and Idris dead center in these cars instead of relying too much on CGI to shatter the illusion.
Director Joseph Kosinski, who made Top Gun: Maverick, focuses on another set of high-octane machines. He has a flair for showing off incredible detail with these cars and how these racers take their craft seriously. He scores another solid, effective thrill ride that should be seen on a big screen.
Pitt is more than capable in the racing scenes, and he’s more than capable of holding his own with this electric cast. It’s pretty much his Days of Thunder, but he has a lot of strong support to make this story believable and borderline engrossing.
My only wish is that the movie wasn’t so heavy on certain trappings, such as the one scene where both characters are almost resigned to a doomed fate on the tracks, even though we know that’s not where the movie is headed. We just know that despite what gets thrown in their way, they will bounce back with a vengeance for the next race.
This is far and away one of the better summer entries. It knows what it is and does it well. F1 crosses the finish line with panache, but it could’ve gotten there sooner if not for its derivative plot.
