When Top Gun: Maverick hit cinema screens in 2022, its success put its director, Joseph Kosinski, into the limelight as a go-to director for the modern blockbuster. This is no surprise as the film became Tom Cruise’s highest-earning film to date, with a sequel on the way. After missing a chance to direct a Gran Turismo film in 2018, Kosinski is swapping the sky for the racetrack with the latest feature by Apple Original Films.
Starring Brad Pitt, Damon Idriss, Kerry Conlon and Javier Bardem, F1: The Movie sees seasoned race car driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) invited to participate in the Formular One championship by old friend Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), who now owns the APXGP F1 team but is on the verge of being broke. Hayes reluctantly becomes APXGP’s second driver and gradually learns about being part of a team.
On paper, F1 sounds like a great project for Kosinski. There is extra credibility driving this production with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer, and combined with the adrenaline-fuelled chaos of the championship as his foundation and a Hollywood icon as its lead actor, the director looks set to replicate the summer blockbuster formula. However, F1 is just that – formulaic.
The narrative comes across as a combination of clichés from various sports films. Coined the ‘Greatest never-has-been’ by pundits, the older but more experienced Hayes is the underdog, returning to Formula 1 30 years after a serious injury forced him away from the spot. In addition, he immediately butts heads with APXGP’s lead driver, the younger yet arrogant Joshua Pearce (Idriss) who is all about the money and social media presence. With a predictable direction of talent versus experience amid the lead characters, Ehren Kruger’s screenplay uses this to exacerbate the conflict within the championship timeframe (notably, nine races), but confining the need to overcome amnosity and personal maturity creates an unsurprising narrative.
Furthermore, the character disparity reinforces the idea that Formula One is a man’s world, with the film’s female characters treated with less respect than their male counterparts. Conlon’s Kate McKenna is a notable example – despite being the team’s technical director and proficient in aerodynamics, she is seemingly reduced to a love interest for Pitt while her skills are questioned by authority figures, who are mostly – and unsurprisingly – men. For the other characters, it is a testosterone-fuelled playground that glamorises the sport through fame and fortune via some questionable editing.
In terms of performances, they are a mixed bag. While Pitt has top billing (and a producer credit), he seems to be enjoying being a rebel on the track, exploiting the rules to benefit the team. He also seems happy to let Idriss be the more serious of the two, resulting in the British star delivering a more settled performance. Meanwhile, supporting stars such as Bardem, Conlon, and Kim Bodnia (as APXGP team principal Kaspar) stir the pot but add little to the party.
F1 makes up the lacklustre narrative with exciting cinematography and intense racing, with Kosinski unafraid of getting into the heart of the action. It will no doubt entertain racing fans, even if the aesthetics and Hans Zimmer’s score stirs a bit too closely to Top Gun: Maverick to make it stand out on its own.
F1 will either appeal to racing fans or adrenaline junkies of the cinematic variety. But aside from looking great, it fails to triumph as a summer blockbuster.
F1: The Movie is out in UK cinemas on 25 June.
Rating: 
Director: Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kreger
Stars: Brad Pitt, Damon Idriss, Javier Bardem, Kim Bodnia, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies
Runtime: 156 minutes
Country: USA
