'F1': A Fun, Yet Familiar Sports Drama

PHOTO: Apple Original Films

When a person experiences great success, they might try to closely replicate what worked well for them in their next project. This is certainly the case for director Joseph Kosinski, who is coming off his biggest critical and commercial success to date after helming Top Gun: Maverick. The film’s major success significantly raised Kosinski’s profile, and it gave him the cache to make another huge blockbuster. Deciding to go by the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, he and screenwriter Ehren Kruger came up with the idea for another film about an aging man returning to his old stomping grounds and mentoring a rookie. However, Kosinski and Kruger trade the familiar world of Top Gun for that of a sport that is becoming increasingly popular around the world: Formula 1 racing. 

Formula 1 has been around since 1950, but has seen an uptick in popularity in the United States over the past few years, partially thanks to an increased presence of the sport and the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. With the fastest cars in motorsport, F1 has thrilled fans for decades, and is having a bit of a moment worldwide. This makes the sport fertile ground for a big-budget film to be made within its world, and Kosinski seizes that opportunity with his latest film, simply titled F1. The similarities between this film and Top Gun: Maverick are blatant, as both feature an A-list movie star and share some significant plot details.. However, the film is still very entertaining, largely due to its engaging racing sequences, and makes up for its reliance on familiar tropes with some big-budget spectacle. 

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was once an up and coming Formula 1 driver, slowly rising in the ranks throughout the 90s until a horrible accident left him severely injured. Thirty years later, he travels around and participates in various competitions, looking for any opportunity to race again. After competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona, Sonny is approached by Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a former teammate who now owns the APXGP F1 team. The APX team is the worst in the sport, but Ruben is hopeful that Sonny can help them improve and offers him a spot on the team. Sonny reluctantly accepts, and begins driving for APX. He clashes with hot-shot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), but soon learns how to work alongside him and help APX become a better team. As the season goes on, the two learn from each other, and Sonny works to redeem himself in the world of Formula 1.

As someone who is largely unfamiliar with F1 racing, I can’t confidently say whether the film does the sport justice. What I can say is that the racing scenes are absolutely thrilling and are captured phenomenally by Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda. These scenes had me glued to the screen and fully invested in how the races would turn out. The film as a whole looks great, but all of the driving scenes are on another level. Kosinski and Miranda use the same magic they used on the flight sequences in Top Gun: Maverick for the racing sequences here, and it works like a charm. It is the type of spectacle that is made to be viewed on the big screen, and easily the film’s biggest strength. 

The same can’t be said for the film’s screenplay, which is pretty standard and formulaic. The spine of the film involves the dynamic between Sonny and Josh, which does feel reminiscent of other films where an old hand and a rookie are paired up. Despite this, it is the strongest plot thread of the whole film, and is so well-executed that I didn’t mind the familiarity. Part of this is thanks to Brad Pitt and Damson Idris’s performances, but it also comes out in the dialogue and the ups and downs of their relationship. There is also a dramatic turn (which I won’t spoil here) that comes about halfway through the film that I didn’t see coming, and it sends shockwaves throughout the rest of it. This element is particularly effective because it comes at a point where the film has seemingly lured the viewer into thinking they know exactly where the rest of it is heading before pulling the rug out from under them. To be fair, once the film gets back on track, it follows a mostly predictable path, but I did feel a bit more on my toes during the back half of the film as a result of that moment. 

The rest of the plot points range from good to middling, and hit a lot of the same beats one might expect. The romantic subplot between Sonny and Kerry Condon’s character, Kate, feels a bit obligatory, and is treated thusly. The two don’t necessarily have bad chemistry, but they aren’t exactly lighting up the screen either. I also felt that Tobias Menzies’s character was a bit shoehorned in, as the film introduces him, kind of forgets about him, and then brings him back to enact a rather clumsy plot point. I get why his character is here and the direction the film takes with him makes sense in terms of raising the stakes in the third act, but it feels pretty half-baked overall. The film at least has the good sense not to overdo it on plot, and is mainly structured around the races. Not only that, but the dramatic tension in the race sequences is rather strong. This makes me a bit more forgiving towards the script’s shortcomings, as it clearly knows that the spectacle is the star of the show here. It also does a good job of characterizing Sonny and his passion for driving, which is illustrated brilliantly throughout. I do wish the writing was a bit more consistent on the whole, but I get that this probably wasn’t the highest priority when making this film. 

Brad Pitt works his movie star charm on this film and is quite good as Sonny Hayes. He gives him an easygoing nature and an underdog quality that makes him someone you can’t help but root for. He’s a little rough around the edges, but that makes him all the more interesting to watch and see how he bounces off the other characters. Pitt does play the hits a little with his performance, but the film really knows how to use him. He moves through the film with confidence and gumption, playing a man whose biggest joy in life is to drive. It’s what he does best and what he loves most. Pitt plays this simply, yet effectively, and it radiates throughout the entire performance. It is a reliably strong performance from Pitt, and the film is a great vehicle (no pun intended) for him.

I wasn’t too familiar with Damson Idris prior to watching the film, but I did enjoy his work here. He plays the young rookie archetype very well, imbuing the character with a cockiness that clashes with Pitt’s more nonchalant attitude. The two are a great pair, and the way their relationship develops is a strength of the film. Whether they are arguing with each other or working together as a team, Pitt and Idris make quite the duo. However, Idris is still good on his own, as he begins to realize that there is more to F1 racing than fame and fortune. He is a great foil to Pitt’s Sonny, and the film shows that he is a rather capable actor that can go toe-to-toe with an A-lister.

The real star of the film is Kerry Condon, who plays Kate, the technical director for APX. I’ve been a fan of Condon since seeing her in The Banshees of Inisherin, and this film makes the case for her to be a bigger star than she already is. She shines in every scene she is in, and has some decent chemistry with Brad Pitt as well. She feels so authentic all throughout the film, which complements the broader characters around her nicely. Condon shows a little more range in her performance compared to her co-stars, even though her character isn’t as fully defined. She is able to fill in the gaps very well though, and elevates Kate to be more than just the love interest or just the tech person. Condon is truly a treasure, and I hope this film leads to more high-profile roles for her in the future.

F1 is more or less what you would expect it to be. It is a big-budget sports drama with some incredible race sequences and a solid turn from Brad Pitt. I couldn’t help but wish it did a few things differently, but I really can’t complain all that much. This film is highly entertaining, shot beautifully, and has some killer sound design as well. It may fall short in terms of its plot, but the film itself has plenty of excitement around it to offset this. F1 is a flawed film, but it is also a fun ride that demands to be experienced on the biggest screen possible.

Rating: 3.5/5