Title – F1: The Movie (2025)

Director – Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy)

Cast – Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies

Plot – Long retired former F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is coaxed out of retirement by old friend and racing manager Ruben Cervantes (Bardem) to help his flailing team on the track and mentor their upstart driver Joshua Pearce (Idris).

“If the last thing I do is drive that car, I will take that drive”

Review by Eddie on 30/06/2025

It’s never good to assume but my assumptions would lead me to believe that you enter into an ice cream shop to buy ice cream, a shoe shop for some shoes or head to a music festival to listen to some music.

Taking that same assumption approach, I would be thinking viewers are buying a ticket to F1: The Movie to see Brad Pitt drive really fast cars in a formulaic sports drama that has made no false pretences about what it is and what it’s trying to offer cinemagoers.

One of the summer blockbuster seasons few original I.P releases that also acts as Apple’s biggest gamble and last ditch hurrah to pursue big-scale cinematic releases for its feature film products, F1 is a $200 plus million dollar tentpole that teams Pitt up with the masterminds behind 2022’s box office smashing Top Gun: Maverick and for anyone wanting big-scale Hollywood entertainment at its most thrilling, crowd-pleasing and at all times unashamedly within the confines of expectations, Joseph Kosinski’s latest adrenaline rush is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Following the tried and true formula of a grizzled veteran who’s seen better days being called back into action by an old friend to help an ailing team and impart their wisdom onto the next generation, Kosinski and his screenwriting partner Ehren Kruger throw Pitt’s Sonny Hayes into a scenario that will be familiar to anyone that’s ever watched a Hollywood underdog story or partaken in a sports themed drama but that matters little when everyone involved is having the time of their lives roaring around the worlds most famous racing tracks all the while involving the audience into the Formula One scene in ways that’s never been achieved on the big screen before.

With the full backing of the global brand, F1 has been granted an all-access pass to the world of the high-octane and high stakes sport and while hardcore racing fans may find themselves nit-picking the liberties taken by the film in regards to certain rules and regulations to make the story tick along, going into F1 with an open mind to have fun and enjoy the ride should provide a huge majority of audiences to have an absolute blast with the show Kosinski and his team put on.

Utilising the long established charms of leading man Pitt who gives Hayes a hearty dose of Cliff Booth DNA, F1 gets the most out of its main star who collaborates well with the films other key players including Snowfall rising star Damson Iris as young protégé Joshua Pearce, the always joyous Kerry Condon as design specialist Kate McKenna and scene-stealer Javier Bardem as team manager Ruben Cervantes, making F1 a pole position finisher when it comes to winning ensembles.

While all these characters are as thinly drawn as you’d like, given small moments of backstories and depth, it matters little in the grand scheme of things as this crowd-pleaser will win you over with a razor sharp script, ample adrenaline rushes in the thick of the petrol fuelled action, a hit heavy soundtrack accompanied by yet another top-notch Hans Zimmer score and a quick-fire education into a world that many audiences members may not have previously had an interest in.

A refreshingly old-school Hollywood effort that hearkens back to the glory days of 90’s fist-pumping audience pleasers, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his creative team have crafted a winning big screen offering that provides its audience with exactly the type of experience that’s been promoted to them, no baggage attached.

Final Say –

A wonderfully captured piece of cinematic entertainment that maximises the star power of its leading man, F1: The Movie plays it safe but when it’s done this well it does little to dampen the joy of 2 and a half hours of pure Hollywood escapism at its shiniest and sharpest.

4 odd pairs of socks out of 5