F1 The Movie
One of the movies I’ve enjoyed watching this year has been F1 The Movie, starring Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Se7en) and Damson Idris (Snowfall). It follows Sunny Hayes (Pitt) as he returns to Formula 1 after 30 years. It’s written, directed and produced by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun:Maverick, Oblivion), and very much feels like Maverick, but set in racing cars instead of fighter jets.
The plot is not hugely imaginative, but the cinematography, music (Hans Zimmer), sound and characters make this a truly captivating experience. I ended up watching it twice in the cinemas (both times in IMAX), and was never bored at all. Kosinski took his skills honed during Maverick and brought them to the world of F1, giving us in car views better than you’ll see at any real F1 race, with both Pitt and Idris driving modified Formula 2 vehicles at the tracks during the race weekends. Of the cars, Kosinski says "We designed the car so that it had built-in camera mounts at 16 different positions for our camera system. We found spaces under the radiator to hold our battery packs, our receivers, our transmitters, our recorders. It was a machine built for shooting a Formula 1 movie – completely custom, but a real race car at the heart of it."
Lewis Hamilton (professional F1 driver) was brought in to provide technical advice and as a producer. He contributed to even subtle changes, “When you’re going into that next turn, you have the car in second gear, it should be in third. I can hear it. I can hear the sound of it,” Hamilton told Kosinski. You’ll also see appearances from F1 drivers, team members and hear the commentators throughout. It’s almost like being there on a race weekend with the best view in the house.
“It’s going to blow away anything that’s ever been done in Formula One before”
As of writing, F1 The Movie is finishing in cinemas, having just been released on PVOD (paid video on-demand) this week. It is now the highest grossing sports movie of all time, taking in over $US500m at the box office since opening on 27th June 2025. While it likely won’t win any oscars, it will leave feeling like you’ve just gotten off a 2 1/2 hour long rollercoaster. It has heart, it has high production values, and it’s my highest rated movie of 2025 with 9 stars.
★★★★★★★★★☆
