'F1: The Movie' Review: Top Gun Meets Top Gear in Wonderfully Ludicrous Racing Drama
- Seb Jenkins
- Jun 26
- 4 min read
By Seb Jenkins - June 26, 2025
Brad Pitt rolls back the years as Sonny Hayes, an ageing driver with an impressive bucket list, as he embarks on a thrilling return to the circus of Formula One.
Formula One is loud and messy and dangerous. It is full-throttle, life-on-the-line, G-force-defying adrenaline at its purest. It is a circus parade that rolls into town 24 times a year, drawing fanatics, celebrities, and casuals like moths to a flaming exhaust. But the one thing that elevates F1 above every other sport in the world is its sheer exclusivity. Only the best 20 drivers on the planet can climb behind the wheels of the beast and compete for the ultimate glory. Being the 21st best footballer on the planet would bring you fame, riches, and trophies beyond your wildest dreams. In Formula One, 21st doesn’t even get you to the start line. What Joseph Kosinski and co have done so masterfully with F1: The Movie is take the most exclusive sporting experience on the planet and plonk you right in the cockpit for every tooth-rattling straight, stomach-lurching chicane, and every jaw-dropping crash. Lights out, and away we go.
What is 'F1: The Movie' about?
When Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) burst onto the scene, he was meant to be the next Ayrton Senna or Alain Prost, before a near-death crash forced him to retire before his career had even reached full speed. Desperate to rediscover the serenity he felt behind the wheel of an F1 car, Hayes took to a number of other driving disciplines, from Le Mans and Daytona to a 9-to-5 as a New York cabbie. But nothing – I repeat, nothing – is quite like Formula One. When an old friend and current F1 team owner, Ruben (Javier Bardem), asks Hayes to come out of retirement to race for Apex Grand Prix, it seems like it’s too good to be true – and maybe it is. APXGP haven’t scored a point all season, the car is the laughingstock of the paddock, and the other seat is filled by cocky rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). If Hayes has any hope of lighting a fire under Apex, he may need to guide his teammate just as much as the car itself.
Fresh off the back of Top Gun: Maverick, you can see Joseph Kosinski’s fingerprints all over this movie. We may not be in the cockpit of a fighter jet this time around, but it’s about as close as you can get. F1: The Movie puts you inside the helmet of a Formula One driver for every twist, turn, skid, and skirmish as Sonny Hayes flirts with the grey areas of the rulebook… and then takes them out to dinner, settles down, and has three kids with them. The combination of Kosinski’s authenticity, Claudio Miranda’s stunning cinematography, and Hans Zimmer’s pulsing score is like lightning in a bottle. A Formula One film lives and dies over whether you feel like you are actually in the car, and F1: The Movie delivers wholeheartedly on that front.
Unfortunately, even a Hollywood giant like Brad Pitt is drowned out by the growling beast of a turbocharged V6 engine. While F1: The Movie thrives when hurtling full speed into a sharp right-hander, the character development falls a pit stop short of a perfect race.
Beyond surface-level smarm and a heart that pumps pure petrol, we never quite figure out Sonny Hayes. The problem with expertly welding man to machine is that it becomes harder to explore the character beyond the car. Kerry Condon roars with energy to prevent much of the dialogue from falling flat, while Damson Idris mirrors his own character – a rising star worth keeping an eye on. Perhaps by focusing more on some of the human scenes between the action – Simone Ashley and the cutting room floor sprint to mind – we could have gone purple in every sector. At least F1: The Movie avoided the common mistake of leaning heavily on cheesy celebrity cameos, as the real-life grid were restricted to non-speaking roles.
If you are an F1 superfan, the irregularities and exaggerations may frustrate you, but Kosinski does a great job of littering enjoyable easter eggs without isolating casual viewers. The only thing that was missing was Brad Pitt ignoring Martin Brundle on the grid walk.
Is 'F1: The Movie' worth watching?
F1: The Movie knows what it is – a chaotic, action-packed, at times ludicrous glimpse into one of the world’s most eccentric pastimes. Leave your know-it-all hat at the door, grab some popcorn, follow Kimi Räikkönen’s lead and get a drink, and enjoy one of the most thrilling blockbusters of the summer.
'F1: The Movie' is out now in cinemas
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