The blockbuster film, “F1,” released on June 23, is an enjoyable experience for everyone, from the most diehard Formula 1 fans to someone who's never watched a race. The film has high-paced action, impressive filmmaking and classic sporting drama, even if the plot is fairly predictable and lacking in originality.
The film follows the grizzled racing veteran, Sunny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt, as he makes his unexpected return to the F1 track. He joins the fictional struggling team APXGP, managed by his old racing teammate, Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem. It’s said that if APXGP can’t win a race by the end of the season, then Cervantes will be forced to sell the team, though it's not fully clear why they must win a race in order to prevent the sale.
After Hayes joins the team, he meets his rookie teammate Joshua Pierce, played by Damson Idris. Pierce is my favorite character, as he can be charming and funny, but still portrays all the arrogance and desperation of a young driver trying to make it in one of the world's most selective sports. Idris’s performance was spectacular, and he provided us with one of the best Met Gala entrances I’ve seen, during the promotion for this film, as he drove in with an actual F1 car.
Pierce provides a perfect foil for Hayes, who is a loner and has long since been disillusioned by the glamour of being a famous driver and now only cares about what happens on the track. Pierce, on the other hand, smiles for the cameras and tries to make his image more popular.
The film follows a typical plot arc as the drivers struggle early on to work together, then start to embrace each other and find success from Hayes’s experience and reckless driving tactics. Then accidents upend the season and the burgeoning friendship. Next thing you know, the last race of the season is there, and Hayes isn’t expected to be driving as he was kicked off the team after causing an accident. But he makes a sudden reappearance right before the start and demands to be allowed in a car, which, for some reason, he’s allowed to do. And after another risky move by Hayes, he wins the race and saves the team from being sold.
While the film lacks a more artistic tint, like that in “Rush,” another F1 movie, it is still an impressive visual feast. But the most interesting thing about the movie is the filmmaking based in reality. Unlike other films these days, it wasn’t completely shot in a green screen studio or made almost entirely with CGI. For the racing scenes, the film crew modified multiple F2 cars, which were driven by the actors on F1 tracks during race weekends — though not during the actual race. Every other driver who appears in the film, besides the two leads, are actual F1 drivers, one of whom, Lewis Hamilton, actually helped produce the movie.
The ties into the actual racing sport are fun and make up for the inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the film, like misordering the different Grand Prixs, that F1 fans may find irritating.
“F1” is exhilarating and fun as long as you don’t think too hard while watching it. It is sure to have people wanting to start watching real F1 races and still give some quality entertainment to those who already do.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
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