…once. Watch it again and again!
There’s only one reason you shouldn’t watch the new F1 movie starring Brad Pitt. And I’ll tell you that reason at the end of this article. But I have to be honest, I really wasn’t sure about this one. When we first heard whispers of this movie being made my scepticism levels were through the roof. Brad Pitt? In a Formula 1 car? Come on, the bloke’s 60! Surely he’s going to play a team principal, right? Nope – he’s a driver. My eyebrows rose so quickly they nearly overtook Verstappen.
Plus, let’s face it – the Yanks have not historically had the best record with F1. It’s not Days of Thunder, lads! And yet… somehow… this movie works. In fact, not only does it work – it’s actually brilliant.
Clichés Galore… But in a Good Way
Yes, the story plays out much like you’d expect. Grizzled veteran. Young hotshot. Team under pressure. Bad guys lurking in the shadows. Bit of tension. Bit of bonding. Bit of drama. All the usual sports movie tropes are present and accounted for. You can practically tick them off like a bingo card.
But here’s the thing – it doesn’t matter. Because the execution is so slick, so engaging, and so damn well-paced, that it transcends the clichés and becomes something truly entertaining.
The Real Star: The Racing
The film absolutely nails the feel of being inside an F1 car. I don’t know how they filmed some of those sequences – I haven’t seen the behind-the-scenes yet – but you genuinely feel like you’re in the cockpit. Not watching, not observing… driving. It’s that immersive.
Honestly, I’d say the gold standard for on-screen car action used to be the Bullitt chase sequence – but this? This might have just stolen that crown. Forget dodgy CGI or clunky simulator shots. This feels raw, real, and relentless.
The pacing never lets up. The race sequences hit hard. The tension builds. And just when you think it’s peaked – bam! Another twist, another race, another climax. It reminded me a bit of The Dark Knight – you think you’ve hit the finale, and then it just keeps going. In a good way!
Yes, the Acting Delivers Too
Brad Pitt – still got it. Effortlessly charismatic. Javier Bardem (as the team owner) steals scenes in the best possible way. And Damson Idris, the rising young driver – phenomenal performance. There’s proper chemistry on screen, and even the emotional beats land without feeling too contrived.
Even my family, who aren’t into cars at all, absolutely loved it. My wife? Hooked. Not just because of Brad, but because she genuinely got into the story. And that, I think, is the sign of a truly successful film: it brings everyone along for the ride, not just the petrolheads.
But Is It Realistic?
Surprisingly – yes. Okay, sure, Brad Pitt as a comeback F1 driver is pushing credibility harder than a Red Bull DRS. But if you set that aside, the racing detail, the paddock politics, the aerodynamic development chatter, the strategies – it all feels authentic.
That’s thanks in large part to Sir Lewis Hamilton being a producer on the film. You can tell his influence is all over it. And with actual F1 drivers popping up (yes, even Fernando Alonso does a cheeky fist bump), the world they’ve built is believable. Fictional, yes, but not silly.
Go See It. On the BIG Screen.
This isn’t a film to wait for streaming. The visuals, the sound design, the sheer scale of the racing scenes – it’s made for the cinema. IMAX if you can. I’ll be watching it again, and probably again after that.
And finally, here it is – the one reason you shouldn’t watch this movie?
There isn’t one. Just go and watch it.
Seriously, we petrolheads need to support movies like this. High-budget, intelligent, visually stunning cinema that respects motoring, motorsport, and everything we love about cars. In an age where car culture is under fire, this is a rare win.
Let’s keep that engine running.
🛞 Seen it already? Let me know what you thought in the comments. And don’t forget to share this with fellow F1 fans and car enthusiasts!
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