Imaginatively named, the F1 movies is a new Apple Original Film directed by Joseph Kosinski. The film follows veteran racing driver Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt, a “what if” in Formula One. The character had his career in the sport cut short after a horrific crash in the 1993 Jerez Grand Prix and we meet Hayes in his camper van preparing to drive his next stint in the 24 Hours of Daytona. When he gets behind the wheel, we see that in spite of his age, Sonny Hayes is a serious talent, as he drags the team to victory through series of exciting overtakes, expertly shot. Absent from the celebrations, Sonny accepts his winning cheque of five thousand dollars and continues life his life of a nomadic racing driver in search of a new challenge. While on the road former teammate and owner of Apex GP Rueben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem, tracks him down and offers him a chance to return to Formula One as driver and mentor to teammate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) on the condition he impresses in a testing session. Rueben explains the dire situation he and the team find themselves in; to keep their jobs at the end of the season Apex GP must win a race or the board will sack him, putting the rest of the teams jobs at risk. Hayes spends the remaining nine races of the season employing unconventional strategies in search of a race win, making it all or nothing as they head into the final race of the season.
Since the rise of Drive to Survive, F1 has seen a boom in popularity, gaining ninety million fans last year alone. Drive to Survive (DTS) humanised the sport by taking a driver driven approach when creating narratives and highlighting rivalries, allowing the audience to connect and empathise with the drivers. The various different characters on the grid offer multiple storylines for viewers to follow whilst simultaneously making the sport easy to digest and entertaining. Not only did DTS grab the attention of casual fans but also gained new fans from all sorts of demographics, creating entirely new audiences invested in the sport.
Drive to Survive has undeniably helped the sport, bringing in millions of new fans and finally cracking the US market after struggling for years. More eyes on the sport have attracted more money from sponsorship and revenue. Now one of the most talked about sports, its marketability and success in the DTS format captured the interest of production companies, with the inception of a movie occurring in 2021 and filming commencing in 2023.
One of the most intriguing things about the film is its direction from Joseph Kosinski. Responsible for a variety of big budget films, Kosinski’s projects have delivered mixed reviews in the form of: Tron: Legacy, Oblivion and most recently the block buster Top Gun: Maverick. It is impossible to talk about the F1 Movie without discussing Maverick. In many ways the F1 movie uses Maverick as a blueprint, both centred around an older mentor and a younger colleague in incredible high speed machinery with high stakes. Kosinski utilises awe inspiring shots that make the audience feel as if they’re in the action.
Following the iconic Top Gun, reservations were held heading into a sequel so many years later, but Maverick exceeded expectations and arguably surpassed the first instalment. Nominated for multiple Oscars, Kosinski created an action-packed exciting experience, utilising sound and cinematography to capture the insane speed and physical demands fighter jets place on the pilots. Placing actors in the cockpit and filming real flights furthered the films immersive experience. Not only did the film look the part but A-list actor Tom Cruise provided fantastic performance as the film delivered on every emotional beat whilst also maintaining it’s fun and entertaining. It’s clear a lot of care went into the making of the film from its creators and actors. The attention to detail and passion for the material added to the substance of the film, making it a gripping and moving experience for the audience.
The F1 Movie throws the audience straight into the action at the 24 Hours of Daytona as Sonny Hayes steps into the car for the “night shift” and hauls the team up to first place. Kosinski’s choice to film on location made the cars look and sound fantastic, capturing the rush of speed and feel for the cars with various reaction, continuing into the world of F1. The Apex team fit seamlessly in the real life 2023 season as plenty of overtakes, crashes and onboard shots gave the audience a taste of what it feels like to sit in the cockpit of an F1 car. Perhaps the best shot followed Hayes lap in Abu Dhabi, doing a superb job of realising what it’s like to enter flow state when drivers describe themselves feeling at one with the machinery. Filming saw the picture shot at multiple tracks and races, with actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris racing on track and even taking part in the preparations and formation lap for the British Grand Prix.
There is an immense payoff for using real race footage, leading to exciting and exhilarating action as Hayes and Damson Idris’ character Joshua Pierce do battle. The films realism is supported by the use Martin Brundle and David Croft, synonymous with the sport, the pair commentate throughout the film supporting the action by simplifying and explaining the rules, allowing those unfamiliar with the sport to follow. Further adding to the film’s immersion to the season, real overtakes were used with the Apex livery rendered over to make it look like an entire season had taken place with eleven teams.
Lewis Hamilton joined the production team to oversee and ensure the storylines were feasible in a Formula One environment. For the most part the storylines had either happened or were inspired by real events in F1. After spending three years in the sport with points let alone a win, Rueben Cervantes is under pressure from the board. With a takeover looming and everyone’s jobs insecure, rookie driver Joshua Pearce only chance at survival is besting his teammate and winning favour with the other teams in the paddock. As the film progresses Hayes and Pearce start working together to better help the team and each other. One topic that has become a point of discussion is Sonny Hayes’ age and whether he would realistically be competitive in Formula One after such a lengthy break. Assuming Hayes is in his late forties it’s perfectly feasible he could be competitive in an f1 car. Fernando Alonso is forty-three and still outperforming his teammate. Nigel Mansell won a race in his forties and his former teammate Damon Hill made his debut at thirty-two, winning the championship five years later. Real life F1 “what if” Robert Kubica made a return nearly a decade after his own horrific accident.
Amazing as the film looked, it was not without its flaws. Despite the cast delivering strong performances, the film does not deliver emotionally. Common movie tropes and failure to convey the weight of scenes left the characters feeling shallow. Scenes where the film looked to build up some emotional depth were cut short, diminishing the moment. The sports first female technical director Kate McKenna, played by Kerry Condon saw her reduced to Sonny’s love interest before having a one-night stand with him. As Hayes won the hearts of the team the characters quickly lost their individuality as they became enamoured with Hayes. Pearce goes from being an ambitious and brash young talent to a somewhat corny side kick. There’s also Jodie, played by Callie Cook. The film seems to initially includes her storyline as a struggling mechanic with as we see her belittled by Pearce after making a mistake. Her arc ends relatively quickly after Hayes does as much as acknowledge her, resulting in her and the team carrying out their roles flawlessly for the rest of the film and in awe of Hayes.
Despite the relatively quick storyline focussing on the pit crew, the film does a great job of showing just how many people are involved with the running of the team. However, the films sub plots lack substance throughout. The introduction of a board member secretly trying to bring down the team falls flat. The film even touches on Pearce and Hayes losing their fathers, something that could helped bring more weight to the film or for the characters to connect with but the film didn’t go into anymore depth. Kosinski’s earlier work, Maverick does a better job of making the stakes feel higher, unlike The F1 Movie where multiple big crashes come with relatively little consequence, it always feels like Apex will prevail. Even when the film tried to, it didn’t deliver emotionally, instead coming off as cheesy.
Despite having Lewis Hamilton as producer, there was a surprising number of inaccuracies. The film was bound to receive criticism from so called die-hards overly analysing the film in search of minor inaccuracies to complain about. That said Hayes’ tactics to deliberately force safety cars and red flags in his efforts to aid his teammate were outright cheating. Sonny’s antics are reminiscent of crash-gate in 2008, where Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed, benefitting teammate Fernando Alonso under safety car conditions and helping him win the race. This incident resulted in team principal Flavio Briatore receiving a life time ban. The fact Hayes’ antics are acknowledged in the paddock and the commentary team, made it more unbelievable.
To conclude, the film immersed itself seamlessly into the 2023 Formula One season. It had incredible racing sequences, providing you with a sense of thrill and insight to the demands drivers go through physically and mentally. But emotionally the film falls flat, predictable plotlines and uninteresting characters leave the film feeling hallow. If you love racing and Formula One then I would recommend watching it for the spectacle but I wouldn’t encourage someone with no interest in the sport.
3/5
