Aging race-car driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is talked into joining a Formula One team owned by a former teammate (Javier Bardem) of his, but clashes with a younger, cocky driver (Damson Idris).

That summary is a hint of the amount of clichés that writer Ehren Kruger filled his script with, but it’s a sign of the film’s blockbuster skill and charm that we don’t really mind.

This crowd-pleaser opens with a white-knuckle race and ends on a similar high note. Parts of the middle drag, but a solid score, a committed cast and hair-raising action that makes us feel what it’s like to be part of the race help.

2025-U.S. 156 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Screenplay: Ehren Kruger. Cinematography: Claudio Miranda. Music: Hans Zimmer. Song: ”Lose My Mind” (performed by Don Toliver, Doja Cat). Editing: Stephen Mirrione. Cast: Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes), Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce), Kerry Condon (Kate McKenna), Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia. 

Trivia: Alternative title: F1: The Movie. Co-produced by Kosinski, Pitt and Lewis Hamilton, who also appears as himself in the film (along with many other Formula One drivers and personnel). 

BAFTA: Best Sound.

Last word: “My undergrad was in mechanical engineering and product design. And it did prove to be pretty helpful, especially in the early conversations with the Mercedes engineers, because we were building our own custom race car […] Obviously they’re the experts, but to be able to have a conversation and problem solve and talk to them about the creative intent and figuring out what we needed these cars to do, it’s always helpful […] It’s great to have a background outside the world of film for the kinds of films I make.” (Kosinski, Screen Crush)