Film Review: F1 (2025)

F1 is the surprise summer hit. The film surpassed the $540 million earned by World War Z to become the top-grossing film of Brad Pitt’s career in a leading role. For an actor who has often not been given the acknowledgment for his acting talents enough, I am delighted.

F1 is not for everyone, it is an experience film that some will view as a derivative pastiche, a PR stunt mutually beneficial to Hollywood and the sport. Even Pitt is said to have earned more than $30 million for the film, but judging by the state of his physique and head of hair, he certainly won’t be spending it on trips to Turkey for a touch-up anytime soon.

This film is not an exposé, and with Hollywood’s shift towards shoehorning some sort of political or societal messages into places that nobody wanted to see them I quietly rejoiced at the absence of these with a pleasant sigh of relief.

The film is a showcase of Formula One, a popcorn blockbuster with jaw-dropping race sequences and a serviceable plot intertwined within them, as opposed to steering the narrative. This film is also certainly not the Formula One Version of United Passions (2014), the abominable saccharine story of the origins of FIFA that is so astonishingly bad it’s hard to comprehend how it was ever made.

“F1” is also not another version of James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari or Ron Howard’s superb character piece ‘Rush’, and it also isn’t a piercing insight into the dark and gritty world of F1 — it’s a formulaic, adrenaline-filled Diesel diesel-guzzling showcase of Formula One as a sport.

In terms of characterisation, this film follows the same plot points of Top Gun Maverick, that is:

‘Old washed-up legend is called back by old friend and rival to bring success to something new, while locking horns with them and eventually bonding with the younger rival. ’

However, whilst Top Gun Maverick was able to draw on characters whose history we had already been part of in the first film, F1 is effectively reducing the character narrative to something more functional, as a conduit for showcasing the actual racing. The film is called F1, it’s not called Sonny Hayes: An Underdog Story.

If you’re after understanding the significance of black monoliths and the creation of the Star Child, please save yourself the trip to the cinema as this visually jaw-dropping thrill ride won’t be for you.

Lewis Hamilton was said to be instrumental in ensuring the accuracy of the racing sequences was on point and essentially acted as the spokesperson for the sport, and his presence is felt.

The spectacular thrill ride is mostly a credit to the use of new, ground-breaking IMAX cameras that are able to be placed on the cars, creating a tremendous sense of immersion as your eyes are glued to the screen. Both Brad Pitt and Damson Idris have to be credited with the physical preparation for their roles, and the proof is in the authenticity of them being behind the wheel at 180 kmph.

Pitt exudes effortless charm, and the older he gets, the more Robert Redford comparisons can be drawn. Sonny Hayes is a mix of Cliff Booth and Billy Beane, roles that come so naturally to Pitt. He’s playful, reckless, and unconventional at times, but undoubtedly endearing throughout. Sonny, as a character, is always seeking a new thrill and challenge, never content with reaching the summit of any endeavour he puts his mind and body on the line for, and it's a journey that is captivating enough albeit lacking in substance.

Tom Cruise is often labelled the last true movie mega star, an actor who is almost larger than the Hollywood machine itself. However, somehow, despite being around in Hollywood as long and accepting an equally expansive medley of roles, Brad Pitt isn’t seen in the same light. As opposed to being a criticism, I think this works in his favour, oozing silent disinterest with his dimples on full display while Tom Cruise hangs from a plane to get your attention. With both ageing as spectacularly well as they are, one wonders if Interview with a Vampire was a documentary as opposed to a film.

Javier Bardem is his usual witty and effortlessly magnetic self, and his plight as a struggling owner of a hugely unsuccessful Formula One team is believable. He adds the right blend of seriousness and schoolboy immaturity that works well when played alongside Brad Pitt's Sonny Hayes.

Damson Idris does a decent job as Joshua Pearce, the hotshot rookie eager to make a name for himself, and he is adept at portraying confidence and arrogance laced with subtle charm. Out of all the performances, one could ask for slightly more quirks or noticeable character traits that would make the performance stand out more when the character is written so thinly. Would someone of Daniel Kaluuya’s talent have pulled that off? Possibly.

Kerry Condon seems to have finally broken into a massive mainstream role and works well alongside the ensemble cast whilst holding her own with ease a long way away from the more subdued comforts of the quiet intimacy of The Banshees of Inisherin.

Her performance is convincing, and she acts as a great equal to Brad Pitt's Sonny, able to hold her own in a male-dominated world where she is constantly under scrutiny for the seniority of her position.

The script doesn’t include much substance to this issue, but at over two and a half hours, it is certainly bloated considering the lack of substance in the characterisation, and it could have been cut to under two hours. I was personally delighted that there was no sequence highlighting gender and racial inequality, carbon emissions, and the grotesque amounts of wealth that Formula One is built on.

When the quality of the actors is so high, despite not being much to sink themselves into, this doesn’t pose a massive issue to the film.

Hans Zimmer has now scored a racing film with both Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt to further add to the comparisons, and as is expected, he does not disappoint. The score is a superb synth 80s homage that matches the intention of the film perfectly — edgy, catchy, and not understated. Out of all of Zimmer's racing soundtracks, I feel that the score for this film comes out in first place, especially in the superb opening sequence that is easily one of the best committed to film.

The summer blockbuster might just be back, if you are looking for it. If you want to enjoy a film for pure entertainment, F1 is the perfect offering currently available. If you want to examine salaries, the lack of diversity in the paddock and cockpit, or how F1 is bad for the environment, perhaps sit this one out.