F1 revs what should be standard ‘popcorn flick’ schmaltz into high gear with a high-octane, polished and crowd-pleasing presentation that provides exactly what you’d expect it to. Though the story is predictable, the characters are very by-the-numbers, and it doesn’t really exceed expectations, it still manages a good time through the use of a strong cast, pristine visual quality, sustainable delivery, and thrilling racing sequences.
Former Formula 1 racing prodigy, Sonny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) is a racer-for-hire who is asked by his old racing teammate, Ruben (played by Javier Bardem) to drive for his F1 team, APXGP, as they are set to be terminated unless they win one of the nine remaining Grand Prixes races. After begrudgingly accepting, Sonny gets to know the team, including its technical director, Kate McKenna (played by Kerry Condon) and its star rookie, Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris) who has skill yet lacks the maturity to secure any wins. While Hayes’ more aggressive style of driving gets APXGP closer to a win, it causes him to butt heads with Pearce, who fears that Hayes’ public comeback will overshadow his status and cause him to be dropped. With tensions in the pit stop that could lead either driver to suffer a fatal accident on the tracks, the older and newer generations will have to co-exist for this underdog team to come out on top.
Considering how many studios and streaming platforms were vying for it, they clearly saw the cinematic potential and commercial viability of this idea, as leading with the team of director Joseph Kosinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writer Ehren Kruger (the people who brought the world Top Gun Maverick) promised an experience at least similar to the billion-dollar-earning sequel. Despite all three not having the greatest track record, their combined efforts led to a great film, and they managed a second wind with F1, adopting a very similar presentation and vibe that could come across as formulaic and pandering, but somehow doesn’t feel cynical. The story is very predictable, following the standard ‘’underdog fighting up the ranks to victory’’ storyline with the expected outcomes, struggles and even character dynamics, and with a running time of 156 mins, it could easily be boring, but the film overall feels well executed.
While there are a few sections in the second act that drag a little and it’s hard to care about the stakes when the attitude feels extremely breezy, its uproarious energy allows audiences to go along with its wildness as it never feels demeaning or too low hanging. The cast provide a lot of character and enough authenticity to salvage the drama, the pacing for the most part is quite good, the script doesn’t really go into detail about the specifics of Formula 1 racing, but won’t push away complete newcomers, and while the racing isn’t as exhilarating as the plane sequences in Top Gun Maverick, they provide enough in-theatre hype and narrative fulfillment to meet the expected quota.
It won’t surprise people, and it might result in a few groans for featuring stuff like a cliched romantic subplot, a lame forced conflict between both racers, and a last-minute bad guy who is entirely unneeded, but it does give what the trailers promised and none of its ingredients feel particularly sour and therefore nothing feels mean-spirited.
Brad Pitt was a strong get for this film as he’s still a very profitable Hollywood star who you could easily see in this kind of hyperactive sports film, but the cast in general is quite good. Featuring equally high-profile talent like Kerry Condon and Javier Bardem, most of the characters feel pretty archetype and the writing doesn’t really do a good job fleshing them out, but the charisma of every performer (whether major or minor) goes a long way to helping keep the audience invested.
Pitt provides enough rugged charm and passion behind the wheel to excuse the somewhat basic handling of his role, Damson Idris feels a little eclipsed by the film’s clear preference for Pitt and has a character who’s also a little undercooked, but still comes across as pretty talented, Kerry Condon is mostly wasted as the crew’s technical director who’s only purpose is to be in love with Pitt (which is something even those within the motor sporting industry took issue with) but brings enough energy to come across as likeable, Javier Bardem continues to be such an engrossing performer that he makes a character that could’ve been played flat, feel very endearing, and even supporting roles from people like Kim Bodnia, Sarah Niles, Abdul Salis, Callie Cooke and Samson Kayo have so much personality thanks to who they picked to portray them.
The races need to be done right for this movie to fulfill its prime objective, and it feels like it made all the right choices when it comes to portraying them. With Apple being one of the main distributors alongside Warner Brothers, F1 feels tailored made for Apple thanks to its obsession with glossy, chromatic technology and its very smooth and polished visual design, but their involvement and clearly helpful funding (the film’s $200 – 300 million budget seems more plausible with them in the background) helps makes everything look clean and high definition, which is noticed the most during the racing scenes.
The cinematography by Claudio Miranda (also from Top Gun Maverick) provides some great up-close shots of the action that put the audience right in the mayhem of a sport that usually requires distance, the editing by Stephen Mirrione is quick enough to continually build suspense, but also allows for longer takes where the audience can hold their breath when a car is trying to pass another, the film clearly used a lot of effects, but the practical camera work and the instances where the actors are really driving do bring a grittiness to these moments, and the techno-themed musical score by Hans Zimmer knows how to heighten the tension and entice the audience without overshadowing what’s occurring on screen.
If F1 is the rookie to Top Gun Maverick’s seasoned athlete, then it’s hard to claim that the racer toppled the pilot, but the fact that it’s even comparable is a feat worth appreciating. It knew what to mimic to result in a popular crowd-pleaser (which has proven successful given the strong early box office), and even with its own personal issues like undeveloped characters, some dumb narrative cliches, and lacking that specific wow factor that could’ve propelled it to great heights, with the help of some charismatic actors, glossy visuals, competent direction, and some pretty great driving scenes, it’ll keep you invested all the way to the finish line.
