Director Joseph Kosinski clearly has a knack for what some might call “Dad-core” cinema or immersive and grand blockbusters in a lighter sense. Following the smash hit of Top Gun Maverick (2022), he takes a similar approach with the appeal of F1 (2025) in the deep immersion of someone feeling like they’re driving the car on the race track. F1 works best when it plays to its strengths by leaning into the spectacle of thrilling race sequences that are unique to any other type on-screen and are matched perfectly with composer Hans Zimmer’s techno synth score. It falls short of true greatness due to its derivative narrative and drawn-out runtime, but even then, some of that familiarity works to the film’s advantage. F1 is the type of rock-solid, location-hopping blockbuster that is meant to be a nice return to the basics, and even though it can’t escape some of its tropes, it comes out as an all-around crowd pleaser.
The narrative of F1 is one we’ve all seen before, a down on his luck older racing legend Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) gets called by his old pal Ruben (Javier Bardem) for an offer too good to be true, a stint at Formula 1 racing. Sonny’s job is to help mentor the young hotshot driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), and the two don’t exactly see eye to eye. Still, the hope is to bring a struggling racing team to glory, aka almost every other underdog story. There isn’t exactly a new spin done with the formula template of this story and the sports cliches would maybe be more forgivable if the runtime wasn’t so gargantuan but the film does have merit within these more safe elements. F1 is a globetrotting underdog story blockbuster that’s not too far off from the 90s and 80s movies we’ve seen in the past like 1999 The Mummy except with Indiana Jones-like treasure hunting replaced with a sports story. Kosinski above all else is extremely well equipped to make this story way more engaging than it would be in the hands of most other filmmakers thanks to his great handling of all the montages, electrifying race sequences, and humorous moments that still give the film a factor of likability throughout its reveling of clichés.
Matters are helped of course by Kosinski not losing a single step in the technical department. Just like with Top Gun: Maverick before, F1 will make audiences more invested in cars bolting across a race track than they likely ever have before. Every scene on a track is smartly filmed, with the actor behind the wheel at the center. The impact of every car crash or tire bump can be felt in multiple ways. It’s the type of exhilarating thrill that makes one's palms sweat while watching a movie, the thrill that gets an audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the next sequence and final moments of a particular race, sure it’s never quite on the level of magical wonder that’s present in Speed Racer (2008) but it's a distinct level of gripping immersion that carries the movie throughout. Hans Zimmer's score is also yet another fabulous addition to almost every scene. The expensive cinematography and score give every race sequence the umph needed to have an impact.
The entire cast here performs a solid amount. Brad Pitt gives a grounded depth to the character of Sonny Hayes and Javier Bardem is especially charming in his close acquaintance role but I was most surprised by Damson Idris who can go toe-to-toe with Pitt in every scene they share. Idris’s character is the one who goes through the most growth in the film in terms of learning how much left he has to learn from a mentor he butts heads with, but he eventually comes to realize they are not so different as racers and you can see the change he goes through in the film's entirety. Oscar-nominated Kerry Condon as Kate is also able to bring magnetism to her character even if she’s not given much to do but she prevails yet again as a marvelous screen presence rather than just being only a love interest to Sonny.
Despite all its cliched storytelling, self-seriousness, and overlong runtime, F1 The Movie still comes out on top of it all as a winner. Kosinski yet again proves himself to be able to deliver a crowd-pleasing popcorn movie yes, but also creates another technical marvel of immersion with his action sequences. It’s not quite as strong as his award-winning previous feature, but it will do more than enough to captivate many to reach the finish line.