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Release Date: June 27, 2025

Runtime: 156 minutes

Rating: PG‑13

Production Companies: Apple Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, Dawn Apollo Films

Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman

Cinematography: Claudio Miranda

Music / Composer: Hans Zimmer

F1 (2025)

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writer(s): Screenplay by Ehren Kruger; story by Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem

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While motorheads might nitpick the technical accuracy of F1, there’s no denying it thrives as a blockbuster spectacle. Joseph Kosinski—still fresh off the adrenaline high of Top Gun: Maverick—brings the same sense of showmanship and cinematic scale. It’s glossy, dramatic, and unapologetically Hollywood. The precision of real Formula 1 mechanics takes a backseat to the thrill of pure immersion. And for what it sets out to be, F1 delivers: stunning race sequences filmed with dizzying intensity, a Hans Zimmer score that feels like the pulse of an engine, and characters whose ambition and flaws give the film a beating heart.

We meet Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a retired F1 legend whose glory days have faded into dusty Daytona circuits and nights spent in his van. Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), an old teammate turned struggling team owner, seeks Sonny out as his last hope to save the APXGP Formula 1 team. The mentorship narrative seems straightforward at first—aging pro helps a cocky rookie—but the film cleverly flips it by the end.

APXGP’s roster introduces a colorful ensemble: sharp-tongued technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), gruff team principal Kaspar Smolinski (Kim Bodnia), dedicated mechanic Dodge Dowda (Abdul Salis), and rookie phenom Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Sonny’s comeback is messy—he struggles with modern tech, crashes during his test run, and clashes with Joshua’s youthful bravado. Their first races are disastrous, marked by pit crew errors and tension boiling over in press conferences. But slowly, respect begins to build. Sonny bends F1 rules with clever tactics, showing he still has an edge, while Joshua begins to learn that ambition without patience has consequences.

What Kosinski nails—beyond the spectacle—is the people. The film is less about the sport’s technicality and more about the ambition behind it, the fragile egos, the deep love for racing that drives people past reason. Sonny may act nonchalant, but Brad Pitt plays him with a quiet fire, embodying an athlete who can’t escape the pull of what he loves, even as the world sees him as washed up. Damson Idris is equally magnetic, balancing charm, arrogance, and vulnerability as a rookie desperate to prove himself. Together, they’re stubborn to a fault—and that’s why you can’t help but root for both.

Kerry Condon shines as Kate, who thankfully isn’t relegated to just “the love interest.” She’s vital to the team’s strategy and arc, proving her worth in a male-dominated field. Yes, her romance with Sonny exists, but it’s a byproduct of mutual respect, not her sole purpose. And Bardem’s Ruben, caught between loyalty and survival, grounds the film with humor and heart. Tobias Menzies as corporate snake Peter Banning adds just enough late-game conflict to make the stakes personal.

Technically, F1 is pure Kosinski: sleek, immersive, and made for the biggest screen possible. Claudio Miranda’s cinematography puts you in the driver’s seat, weaving between POV shots that make you feel the G-force. The sound design is ferocious—engines roar, tires scream, crashes rattle your bones. And Hans Zimmer’s score? It doesn’t just underscore the action—it drives it, especially in the finale.

Speaking of the finale, my favorite race sequence—hands down—is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It’s the culmination of everything the film builds toward: Sonny locking in, blocking out the noise, channeling the vulnerable moment he once shared with Kate on that balcony. The way the camera isolates him, Zimmer’s music swells, and then BOOM—fireworks explode as he crosses the finish line. For a brief second, it feels transcendent, surreal, like time itself slows. It’s the kind of scene that made me well up in my seat.

Yes, the film is long. It could’ve trimmed a few scenes. But most of what’s here earns its place. There’s enough thematic weight—mentorship, legacy, teamwork, the quiet dignity of aging athletes—to balance out the big-budget adrenaline. And I love how the film flips the typical mentor-protégé arc: Sonny starts off as the teacher, but in the end, it’s Joshua who helps Sonny achieve the closure he’s been chasing.

Is it accurate to real F1? Probably not in its mechanical detail. It’s dramatized, glossy, “pure Hollywood” in many ways. But it captures the feeling—the ambition, the backstage politics, the camaraderie, the heartbreak. For F1 diehards, it might not be precise. For the rest of us, it’s accessible without feeling hollow.

And beyond the action, there are these quiet emotional beats that hit harder than expected. Joshua’s fiery crash mid-film is gutting—shot with just the right balance of chaos and clarity. The hospital scenes echo with guilt and blame. Sonny’s late-night balcony talk with Kate strips away his stoic mask and reveals a man still chasing meaning. And the ending, with Sonny sacrificing his own glory, speaks volumes about what true passion looks like.

The cameos from real F1 drivers are fun, but honestly, the film would’ve worked with or without them. What stays with me isn’t who popped up—it’s the characters we followed all the way through.

F1 isn’t quite Top Gun: Maverick—it doesn’t soar that high. But it’s still one of the year’s most exhilarating rides. It’s as much about why we chase impossible dreams as it is about the sport itself. And as someone who knows almost nothing about Formula 1, I walked out of the theater feeling the rush like I’d been on the track myself.

It’s loud, it’s long, it’s larger than life—and it earns it.