This past weekend saw the release of the long-anticipated Formula One film, F1. The Top Gun: Maverick duo - director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer - promised the most authentic portrayal of the sport to date, even bringing in seven-time World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton as a producer to ensure realism.
After watching it, I’m sorry - but that promise was a bunch of malarkey.
Just as former Navy pilots criticized Top Gun: Maverick for its implausible aerial stunts, F1 quickly falls apart under scrutiny from anyone familiar with motorsport. Despite the hype, Bruckheimer and Kosinski have missed the mark in delivering a truly accurate depiction of Formula One.
So, what’s wrong with it? A lot.
To begin with, the storyline borrows all the worst clichés from past racing films. The plot - an aging veteran returning to mentor a young hotshot and help the team climb the grid - is a carbon copy of the painfully bad 2001 IndyCar movie Driven, starring a miscast Sylvester Stallone. Bruckheimer even borrows from his own Days of Thunder: remember Cole Trickle’s arrival at the test in pit lane? You’ll see almost the exact same scene in F1, with Brad Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes. And when Hayes pulls up behind a rival mid-race and mutters “Remember me?” - well, that’s Days of Thunder all over again.
The racing action?
Visually impressive, yes. The film blends real F1 race footage with in-car shots, similar to the 1966 classic Grand Prix. But despite today’s advanced, ultra-light camera technology, F1 doesn’t manage to capture the on-track intensity any better than a movie made six decades ago.
Worse, the film insults the viewer’s intelligence. Sonny Hayes repeatedly causes on-track incidents, including deliberately hitting DRS boards and triggering safety cars to manipulate race outcomes. In reality, such stunts would bring massive fines and multi-race or lifetime bans - just ask Pat Symonds or Flavio Briatore.
As for the drivers themselves...
Damson Idris plays young driver Joshua Pearce, but fails to come across as either professional or athletic. His character is more reminiscent of a tantrum-prone influencer than an elite competitor. There’s no effort to reflect the grit and focus seen in real up-and-comers like Oscar Piastri - who would’ve made an excellent reference point.
Brad Pitt brings charisma and a cool presence reminiscent of Steve McQueen - he’s arguably the glue holding the film together. Is he believable as a 50-something F1 driver? Not really. But as the seasoned GT racer we see in the film’s opening? That actually works - those guys do exist in real life.
Who’s this film for?
If you're a casual fan who swoons over Lando Norris or follows Pierre Gasly’s love life, F1 might entertain you. But for serious motorsport fans, this movie is a missed opportunity - style over substance, gloss over grit. Don’t rush out to see it.
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