After Years Of Waiting, I Finally Saw 'F1,' But Should You?

Several years ago, it was announced that director Joseph Kosinski — fresh off of blockbuster hit Top Gun: Maverick — would be at the helm of a film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time F1 champ Lewis Hamilton about Formula 1 with Brad Pitt in the starring role.

F1 fans like me, and perhaps you, watched for years as the production team filmed during race weekends throughout several seasons, and finally, after years of waiting, I got to see the finished product, F1.

I snagged tickets for my brother and myself to see a "Fan First" screening of the movie at our local AMC Theater (which was crucially on an IMAX screen, which we will get into) in a theater so full that they added a second screening. 

The movie got started without trailers ("Holy hell," I said to my brother. "I'm glad we got here on time.") and two and a half hours later, it was done.

Now, I have thoughts.

First, let's give you the broad strokes of the plot (and before you start crying, there won't be any spoilers).

Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is an ex-F1 driver who dropped out of the public eye after a horrific crash in the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix and resurfaced a decade later, living in a van and racing anything and everything he can get into.

After competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona, Hayes is approached by his former F1 teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) who owns the team APXGP, backmarkers who have failed to score a point throughout their first three seasons (although they have a very nice headquarters that fans might notice looks quite a bit like the McLaren Technology Centre). Cervantes tells Hayes that the team's board will force a sale if they fail to win by the end of the season, and asks him to join the team for the final nine races, where he will race alongside rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).

From there, the movie details the team's trials and tribulations as they try to develop a car designed by technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) that can compete for a Grand Prix win, while Hayes hunts for redemption following the failure of his first stint in F1.

To get the most out of <i>F1, </i>leave your Formula 1 Hardo-ism at the door. (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Best Way To Enjoy F1 Is By Not Being An F1 "Well, Actually…" Guy

Now, those are some very broad strokes as far as the plot is concerned, and that is the first thing I'll say that I really liked about this movie. While it was in production, I remember plenty of jokes about how there would be a "villain" team, with the running joke that since Lewis Hamilton was producing (as was Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff), that team would be Red Bull.

However, there's no such team, and instead, the driving force behind the plot is something much more realistic to the world of Formula 1, and that's simply fighting to keep the team alive. There is no shortage of real-life stories like this, and at times, there were things that reminded me of Brawn GP's rise from the Honda ashes to win the 2009 World Championship and, more recently, Haas' battle to stay alive through the early 2020s.

But while I loved that the plot felt very Formula 1, it's important to note that if you're a big Formula 1 fan, remind yourself before going into this movie that it is a work of fiction, and as such, certain liberties need to be taken.

I recall Williams driver Carlos Sainz telling fans to keep an open mind because there are things in the film that don't happen the way they would in real life, and he's right about that. I spotted quite a few.

One of the more obvious ones involves Hayes' first meeting with the team, which took place at a test session. 

Now, remember: there were only nine races left in the season. 

F1 fans will know this, but in-season testing like that isn't allowed anymore.

Here's the thing, though: this is a massive blockbuster movie meant to appeal to the masses, including those who don't spend 24 weekends a year watching every on-track session. As such, there are some moments of hand-holding in which the sports basics are explained to viewers who may be unfamiliar with them.

This typically comes by way of some clunky dialogue between teammates or from commentators. One instance I remember was during one race, APXGP had a 7-second pitstop. Now, F1 fans know that's very slow, but the great Sky Sports commentator David Croft (who appears in the film alongside his commentary mate, the also great Martin Brundle) lets viewers know that this is "twice as long as a normal pit stop."

That's not something he would ever say, but he had to so that someone who has never seen an F1 race knows that seven seconds, while that may seem quick, is an eternity in F1.

There are plenty of these moments in the film, and while I wasn't a big fan, there really is no better way to do it. 

Every script requires some degree of exposition. Explaining how an entire sport works — one as complex as F1 — will require a lot, and I think screenwriter Ehren Kruger did a solid job considering how tall an order that is.

If you go to see <i>F1 </i>in a theater, make sure its in IMAX and with the best sound system available. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

F1 Was Built For The Big Screen

Now, as far as how this film looks? That alone is worth the price of admission. Sure, the story is good and carries the movie, but the race sequences are thrilling, and the sights and the sounds of the paddock — including plenty of cameos from drivers to team principals to media members (Fox Sports IndyCar announcer Will Buxton makes an appearance) to even Lewis Hamilton's beloved English bulldog Roscoe that F1 fans will love — look incredible on the big screen.

To this point, the film was shot in IMAX, and if you have an IMAX theater near you and don't mind shelling out a couple of extra bucks to see it in that format, you definitely should. It's really incredible, and I think Joseph Kosinski has cemented himself as the director in Hollywood you call if you want to make a movie about fast things.

As for the individual performances, there wasn't a clunker in the bunch. Pitt was a great, grizzled racing vet and Idris was stellar as a cocky rookie. Javier Bardem is always great (although I can never not seem him as Anton Chigurh, and always expect him to break out a cattle gun at some point), and so was Kerry Condon.

On top of that, I thought the original score from Hans Zimmer was really good, and I liked the songs from artists like Chris Stapleton and Ed Sheeran that were part of the soundtrack as well.

Is this the greatest racing you'll ever see? Probably not.

But is it a very good movie meant to be seen on the big screen? Absolutely.

F1 is going to get what they wanted out of their involvement, and that is for the sport to get exposed to an even bigger audience. I think as long as they can get people in the door, you'll have lots of people who will go home and tune in to a race.

We'll see how it performs at the box office given the film's hefty production and marketing budgets, but I think the 85% score it is currently carrying on Rotten Tomatoes is fair. 

It's not a perfect film, but it's never a slog despite its 156-minute run-time.

Also, how could you not love glamour shots of wheel-to-wheel action on a giant screen?