F1

Growing up I remember my mother putting the F1 on TV and being intrigued by the speed the cars flew around the tracks. At the time, I didn’t get into it, not knowing the rules or the drivers.  

Then like a lot of people, I started watching the Netflix series Drive to Survive. It was a chance to learn the rules, the players, and the politics. To understand why this sport is so exciting, and so dangerous.

The next stage in my F1 education comes in the form of F1. An Apple production directed by Joseph Kosinski, of Top Gun Maverick fame, and produced by Lewis Hamilton. Filming followed the actual F1 races for a season, so we’ve been teased with glimpses of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris at work – now we get to see what they’ve made.

F1 follows APXGP, a fictional team struggling to win a race. (One small caveat before I go on, it’s important to note that this is all a fictional representation of an F1 team. All clear? Good, let’s move on).  The team’s board is putting pressure on the team principal, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). He must win a race this season or lose his job. Cervantes recruits his old friend and former team partner, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) to be his new driver and work next to their current driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).  

Sonny Hayes was a promising F1 star, until an accident forced him to retire. He now travels the world racing different cars, and the film opens with him listening to Whole Lotta Love and driving in the 24-hour Daytona endurance race – taking his team from close defeat to victory. It sets the scene as Hayes being this incredible rockstar, cowboy driver. A rustic, card playing, mismatching sports socks wearing man, who sleeps in a van, does pull ups on metal scaffolding, runs around the track to keep fit, gives monosyllabic answers at press conferences, and pushes the rules – Pitt as Sonny Hayes is the epitome of cool.  

This puts him in great juxtaposition to Pearce (Idris Damson). The current driver for APXGP who is trying to make a name for himself in a super competitive world where winning is everything, and perception matters. He trains using the latest technology and is surrounded by the more expensive side of life.

There’s a great rivalry and chemistry between them, with and old school versus new school vibe – with Damson Idris holding his own against Pitt. For their characters, Pearce is frustrated with the team’s failure, they follow the rules, but aren’t getting anything for it and takes it out on the pit crew, but as the driver he fails to tell them exactly how they can improve the car. He wants to be the alpha male of the team, while Hayes is the wild card. Hayes can read cars, plays by different strategies, and takes the risks that gets the points the team needs. They’re both arrogant drivers after the same goal, just use different methods, which clashes on and off the track.

It's a great relationship to watch and speaks to the chemistry through the cast –  the individual relationships work well. With a with a lovely bromance between Bardem and Pitt – which pulls and pushes against the need to win. Kerry Condon shines as Kate, the lead engineer and has great chemistry with Pitt. Between all the actors, they clearly had fun on set, which translates well into their characters and for our entertainment.

But, before I get into more of the good stuff, I do have some small quibbles. The script, at times, feels like what’s being said is more poignant than it actually is. There’s also an issue with the sound levels for the dialogue, so key lines are totally lost, and the plot is fairly rudimentary.

These are all really minor complaints in the face of what the film does well. Which is deliver fun, adrenaline-filled spectacle. My eyes were fixed to the screen throughout – taking in as much detail in as I could. Trying to see as much of the production as possible.

Given the level of difficulty they must have had, with limited time to film the shots, and fixing the cameras to the cars. It’s all-round tight choreography and insanely impressive camera work. Beautifully capturing the wide shots from the driver’s perceptive then switching to the close-up shots inside the cars and capturing the driver’s eyes. The film does a fantastic job of showing how difficult these cars are to drive, how they battle all the elements, and captures the atmosphere of the circuits. It's a must-see film for the cinema, because you need to give the scenes space to breathe, to take it all in. 

The movie is an achievement in filmmaking. By placing the actors in the real world of F1, and by having Lewis Hamilton as a producer, it gives the film’s settings and details an authentic feel and us a thrilling experience.  

Overall 4/5