For almost four years, rumors have been circulating about a film centered on Formula 1. As early as December 2021, the names of Brad Pitt, Joseph Kosinski (director of Top Gun: Maverick), Jerry Bruckheimer (also producer of Top Gun Maverick, but also of Pearl Harbor, Beverly Hills Cop and Pirates of the Caribbean) were already mentioned. There was even talk of a certain Lewis Hamilton, seven-time F1 world champion, as someone heavily involved in the project.
Finally, these rumors were confirmed in June 2022 with Apple holding the distribution rights alongside Warner Bros. During the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, the film crews were spotted several times during Grand Prix weekends to shoot scenes from the film with real shots during the races.
While the project didn't really excite many people when it was announced, it's clear that the first images seemed to be of high quality. With Lewis Hamilton as producer and consultant, we had reason to hope for good entertainment, allowing fans to have a good time and newcomers to discover a little more about motorsport.
Expected for a release this week, June 25, in theaters, we had the opportunity to see the film in preview. Here's what we can say about it.
Brad Pitt back in the competition
The official F1 film allows us to meet Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt. Sonny was a Formula 1 prodigy in the 1990s. He fought for victory every race weekend alongside Prost, Senna, Mansell, and Schumascher. Unfortunately, his career quickly came to an end after a very violent accident at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hayes decided to leave the world of motorsport for about ten years, before returning as an independent driver who took on new challenges in different disciplines each season. After winning the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona race, Sonny is contacted by Ruben Cerventes (played by Javier Bardem, who appeared in Dune, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Skyfall).
Ruben is Sonny's former teammate from when they both raced in Formula 1. More than 30 years later, he is now the boss of a team, Apex Grand Prix (APXGP), on the verge of bankruptcy. He's missing a driver, and Sonny seems to be his last hope.
A new challenge for Sonny: becoming an F1 driver again, more than 30 years after his crash. He only has half a season to turn the team around and save his employees and his friend. The film aims to immerse viewers behind the scenes, from driver preparation to team management, including, of course, the incredible racing moments.
In terms of cast, F1 offers some great performances. In pole position, we find Joshua Pearce, Sonny Hayes' teammate, played by Damson Idris (Farming, Hostile Zone). Kate, the first female engineer in charge of designing the APX Grand Prix car, is played by Kerry Condon (Marvel’s Avengers). We also find Kim Bodina (Pusher, Rosewater) in the role of Kaspar, the team principal (team manager) of APX Grand Prix.
Overall, the casting holds up well. Damson Idris does particularly well in the role of the "rookie", who isn't stifled by his lack of self-confidence... To the point of becoming unbearable? So much the better, that's the goal. On the other side of the track, Brad Pitt shines perfectly as a mentor with a role that seems tailor-made for him.
Truly exhilarating racing sensations
Behind this F1 film, we have Joseph Kosinski as director. The man has distinguished himself in recent years for having directed Top Gun Maverick. And, it shows. The film is clearly a visual and audio gem. The image, the sound, the staging, the intense moments in the race, everything is successful.
The cameras are judiciously positioned to make us feel all the intensity and grab us? We feel the danger and the adrenaline thanks to very immersive scenes. Special mention to the sequences with the view in the cockpit which allow us to experience the race as the drivers see it.
The collisions are not simulated and the accidents are for the most part real, taken from real racing events during the 2023/2024 F1 seasons or made for the needs of the film. This adds a spectacular touch.
The soundscape also plays a big role. Of course, there is the majestic soundtrack composed by maestro Hans Zimmer, which completely immerses us in the film's most powerful sequences. But, alongside this, there are also the sound effects. The atmosphere of the paddocks, the noise of the pits and the sound of the F1 cars were perfectly transcribed.
Remember that Brad Pitt actually drives the car in many sequences. For the needs of the film, the teams built an F2 car disguised as an F1 car, less powerful and less dangerous to drive. The illusion is perfect since the APEX Grand Prix F2 cars will blend in perfectly with the rest of the grid.
Plan C, as in “Cliché”
So, of course, if you are a fan of F1, you will really have to go see the film, keeping in mind that it is not a documentary which aims to be realistic.
Overall, the world of this sport has been perfectly transcribed, with a lot of references and allusions. The director took care to highlight many important details and the decisive issues that we find each grand prix weekend: the strategies, the rivalries, the rare places that can quickly be lost, the pressure, the accidents, the dangers, the twists and turns, etc.
It should be remembered that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was a producer and consultant on the project. Although he did not have access to all the information, he was able to offer a lot of advice. But the problem is that, to really emphasize all this, the producers perhaps went a little too far, sometimes tipping the F1 film into "too much" and clichés.
The film features the APEX Grand Prix team, a back-of-the-grid team that absolutely must improve its results to save its future. This involves recruiting a new driver and the arrival of several "packages" which are improvements made to the car throughout the season.
The character of Sonny Hayes (approaching sixty), is truly described as a driving ace. A true prodigy, capable of preparing for F1, and competing with the best drivers including Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton, after only two or three weeks of training. Whereas, in reality, F1 drivers, much younger, must take many months, even years to prepare.
The packages added to the car are simply revolutionary. They will succeed in transforming one of the worst single-seaters on the grid into a top team capable of aiming for the middle of the standings, or even podiums and victories. All this in just three or four races.
Of course, this kind of scenario can happen, as with the case of McLaren, which started 2024 in a chaotic manner and ended up winning the World Championship. But this kind of example remains rare and, above all, we are talking about a team with the means and an impressive workforce, which took several years to recover before blossoming in 2024.
Race strategies are also highlighted, but in a far too improbable way. During a race, victory is decided by true teamwork. The driver, his engineer, and the strategists on the pit wall (who monitor telemetry, weather conditions, race events, and car data) must communicate with each other, precisely and very briefly.
Sometimes everything can be decided in a few tenths of a second. Disagreements and misunderstandings can sometimes create tensions between the driver and his team. And this is what the film F1 wants to highlight at times with a reckless Brad Pitt who stands up to his engineer and his team boss. The latter does not hesitate to stay in his pit space for nearly 9 seconds to put pressure on him to be given the tires he wants.
This is unlikely, since losing nine seconds during a pit stop would completely ruin a race. Even though victory wasn't the goal at that point in the film, losing that much time would ruin any possible strategy.
Another point that might raise a smile: the race starts. We have APEX cars that are systematically poorly positioned and start at the back of the grid, but which quite often manage to move up to second or third position before the first corner.
Regarding the different racing strategies used in the film: in F1, the use of teammates to slow down other drivers is an important strategy. But, there are certain rules. And, again, in the film, it goes a little too far. Sonny Hayes, known for his overly aggressive driving style, doesn't hesitate to cause collisions, yellow flags, or even red flags. Situations that would be simply forbidden on real race weekends.
Finally, F1 doesn't forget to highlight the relationship and rivalry between teammates. A scenario that is very reminiscent of the "Breaking Point" game mode that players have been able to discover in F1 games since 2021.
We then discover the rivalry between a young, arrogant rookie, who is hungry for victories, who dreams of a great career, and who is not mature enough. Facing him, a driver at the end of his career, who has experience and will take on the role of mentor. A dynamic that the film will push to its paroxysm, even if it means falling into clichés, even silliness.
In F1, a young driver can lose his seat after three or four failed races. The film, for its part, chooses to depict a smiling novice, cocking in front of the press just after stupidly abandoning the race.
You have to be aware that the goal of the film is to provide entertainment, to appeal to fans, but also and especially to non-fans, to captivate them for more than 2.5 hours. If you assume that you are going to see a film for entertainment and not a documentary, you will definitely have a good time.
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