Director Joseph Konsinski‘s (Tron: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick) latest film F1: The Movie covers Formula One racing, one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Other than his love for colons in film titles, Konsinski loves making big films that audiences feel required to see on the biggest screen possible.  

F1 follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) a former Formula One race car driver from the 90’s. Since leaving Formula One, he’s raced anything, anyone, and everywhere. His old racing friend Rueben (Javier Bardem) owns an APXGP, a struggling racing team that’s desperate for a win. Rueben fears that if he doesn’t win one of the last 10 races of the season, the board will force him to sell the team. Desperate for a win, Rueben asks Sonny to join his racing team and race alongside a hotshot newcomer named Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). 

In predictable sports movie fashion, Sonny and Joshua must put their differences aside and learn to work together to get their team a win.  

The last time we saw a Konsisnski film, it was Top Gun: Maverick. On the surface it felt like an unnecessary sequel that was pulling on nostalgia and Cruise’s charm to win over audiences. The film ended up being a blockbuster and one of the best films of 2022. F1 has similar DNA. On the surface it feels like an unnecessary racing movie that’s banking on Brad Pitt’s star power and Damson’s charisma and charm to carry it. Underneath its charm is a sports film that hits all the necessary beats that leave audiences feeling good. There isn’t anything meaningful happening in the story. There isn’t a big plot twist or moral issues audiences are forced to grapple with. It’s a straightforward feel good sports movie. The film’s high production value and charismatic leads are the engines that help it go full throttle.  

Much of F1 is very much surface level entertainment (I say that in the most positive way) and that may turn some audiences off. However, the surface level is done at such a high level; it doesn’t allow the shallow storytelling to interrupt cheapen the entertainment value.

Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are wonderful together. Pitt as the rusty old veteran and Idris as the flashy new guy is a formula that has played out 1,000 times in sports films. The plot doesn’t spend much time on the two main characters push-and-pull for the #1 spot. It takes a predictable turn and spends a bulk of their screen time showing the duo learning to work together. I would love to see the two of them together in more projects. Damson Idris shows he has leading man potential. He may be one of the actors to pick up the mantle once Brad Pitt retires.

If you watch F1 for the racing, you’ll enjoy it and be thoroughly entertained. The real racing and incredible sound design make those sequences as engaging as they are astonishing to watch onscreen. Some of the shots they’re able to get are incredible. Similar to Top Gun: Maverick, the action sequences capture the intensity. Konisnski puts the audience right in the cockpit with the driver, allowing them to feel every horsepower, turn, and white knuckled anxiety with every bump.

F1 is the Top Gun: Maverick of 2025. It’s a predictable sports film that will be enjoyed by the masses. It’s an entertaining popcorn film like the ones moviegoers grew up on in the 80’s. It’s big, beautiful, yet familiar tale – the kind of film general audiences love. Konsinski does an excellent job immersing the audience into the film – at times it feels more like a front row Formula One experience than a film.

Grade: B