F1 (2025)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director:  Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, Sarah Niles, Lewis Hamilton, Kim Bodnia, Samson Kayo
Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 26 June 2025

Synopsis: Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

Movie Review:

Fresh off reviving Tom Cruise’s iconic turn as naval aviator Maverick, Joseph Kosinski casts his sights on reviving our love for classic Hollywood megawatt movie star Brad Pitt. It has been a while since we’ve seen Pitt slide into the sort of Golden Age Hollywood rogue that defined his popularity, and it is such an unbridled joy to see Pitt bring his presence, persona and physicality to the role of veteran F1 driver Sonny Hayes, a would-be and has-been who gets one last shot at the chequered flag.

As far as comeback stories go, ‘F1’ hardly breaks new ground, but like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, it is supremely satisfying as an old-school, summer blockbuster. Right from its opening scene of Hayes waking up in his beat-down van next to the speedway, firing up Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’, before running his section of the 24 Hours of Daytona his way, ‘F1’ settles into a sleek, sturdy and occasionally propulsive groove that keeps going throughout its speedy 156-minute running time.

Hayes is given a way back into Formula 1 by his old racing buddy Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) – once both up-and-coming drivers, Hayes’ promising career as the Next Big Thing was abruptly disrupted when he was involved in an accident during a big race against Ayrton Senna; and whereas Hayes had spent the next three decades drifting around, Ruben has since set himself up as the owner of a struggling F1 team known as APXGP. Not surprisingly, Hayes proves to be Ruben’s Hail Mary to save what is left of their season, thus ensuring that Ruben does not lose the company.

There is no secret why Hayes decides to take the gig – as he explains early on in the movie, it is his love and passion for racing that drives him, and not so much fame or glory; in short, Hayes is as honorable a leading man as it gets. On the other hand, his teammate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) is a cocky but extremely talented rookie, and the verbal and physical sparring off and on the tracks between Hayes and Pearce is pulsating to watch, not least because both Pitt and Idris are so instantly compelling.

Besides some hotshot antagonism with Pearce, Hayes also finds romance in his comeback journey with Irish technical director Kate (Kerry Condon). Considering how easily her character could have been a romantic stereotype, Condon deserves praise for injecting more personality into her steely role than it was written out to be. Same goes for Kim Bodnia as team principal Kasper, as well as Sarah Niles as Pearce’s mother Bernadette; together, the supporting ensemble adds shades of narrative tension, humour and warmth into a story that could have been a lot less engaging.

Yet Kosinski, who co-wrote the movie with his ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ scribe Ehren Kruger, knows exactly how to make all the storytelling elements come together beautifully with the racing sequences. Oh yes, the latter has no doubt been touted as the highlight of the movie, with the production embedded within the actual Formula 1 circuit for a whole season. Besides being filmed at actual F1 events in Silverstone, Hungary, Mexico, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, the on-location shoot also allows F1 fans to be treated to a gaggle of real-life F1 personalities, including Lewis Hamilton (who is also credited as producer), Kevin Magnussen, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

The greatest achievement though is how the movie captures the authenticity and verisimilitude of the races themselves, putting you right on the tracks through the use of smaller IMAX cameras mounted on the cars – in particular, one such camera movement provides a 180-degree pan that goes from the driver’s perspective within the car to the interior of the cockpit, and let’s just say that it is absolutely immersive. Kudos to Kosinski, cinematographer Claudia Miranda and editor Stephen Mirrione for splicing together the viewpoints from the cameras all around the cars with a combination of wider shots for maximum dramatic tension and pow.

Despite all the whiz-whizzing, ‘F1’ never loses its heart thanks to Pitt. Inhabiting the role with confidence, ease and self-awareness, Pitt keeps the mood larky and buoyant throughout with plenty of wise-cracking. He also brings depth to the quieter, more intimate moments, adding layers of vulnerability that make his eventual victory on the tracks even more emotionally rewarding. Like we said at the beginning, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Pitt in a role like this, and we dare say extremely gratifying for those who have grown up with the Hollywood icon.

‘F1’ is also grand, old-fashioned entertainment that delivers on its promise of pure kinetic escapism. If it isn’t yet obvious, the dedication to accuracy here is impeccable, so fans of the sport can rest easy; for agnostics, there is just enough exposition to keep you intrigued about the physics and tactics of the game, and perhaps even by the end of it, convert you into an enthusiast. This is as real as it gets, with Kosinski and his team delivering yet another exhilarating cinematic experience packed with sheer thrills, action and emotion. It is F1 all right, a first-grade summer blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can get.

Movie Rating:

(A first-grade summer blockbuster packed with sheer thrills, action and emotion, this is top-flight entertainment that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible)

Review by Gabriel Chong