Brad Pitt hits the gas in F1, a slick, high-speed adrenaline fantasy that’s essentially Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick in a different font.
As Sonny Hayes, a van-dwelling ex-racer turned motorsport nomad, Pitt brings his trademark cool and all-American charm to a character whose glory days are thought to be behind him — at least, until an old friend and the owner of a floundering F1 team, Ruben (played with irrepressible allure by Javier Bardem), throws him one last shot at redemption. With the team in crisis, the car a “shitbox,” and the media ready to write Sonny and Reuben’s team off, and a talented but unseasoned rookie hotshot (Damson Idris in what is sure to be a career-making break) in the seat, the odds are firmly stacked against them.
The screenplay doesn’t break new ground, but it doesn’t have to. The familiar beats are part of the thrill, and there’s something comforting, even exhilarating, about watching a fallen hero defy expectations and roar back to life. Sure, the screenplay occasionally veers into macho silliness, and some dialogue clunks, but considering the general existential despair permeating current events, there’s something welcome about the simple pleasures of an underdog formula.
And the racing is astonishing. With groundbreaking miniature IMAX cameras mounted right on the cars, the action puts you inches from the tarmac. You don’t just watch the races — you feel them, white-knuckling the seat and veering around the corners. Pitt and Idris do much of the driving themselves (in modified Formula 2 cars), and real-life Grand Prix locations lend the film a visceral authenticity. Producer Lewis Hamilton’s influence also ensures that while the drama may be heightened to melodramatic heights, it still feels grounded in the reality of elite racing.
Far from being outshone by Pitt’s blazing star power, the ensemble cast hold their own in a series of fantastic performances. The ever-great Kerry Condon adds warmth and smarts as the team’s technical director, while Idris is electric as the cocky rising star worried about his future. Together with Bardem, they work to turn F1 into more than just a star vehicle — it’s a team effort in every sense.
In a cinematic era awash with grim dystopias and brooding antiheroes, F1 is refreshingly earnest. It may run on familiar fuel, but it delivers an unforgettable ride.
F1 releases in UK cinemas on June 25th.