A Review of F1: The Movie
From someone who started watching the sport a year ago.
Movie Poster | Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures
I had the pleasure of going to Le Pit Club’s community movie event where we watched F1: The Movie. It was a joy to be in the theater with a room full of people with whom I’ve had the pleasure of watching the Formula 1 races with.
If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and Maverick, then there is a good chance you will like Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes. He’s a grumpy, old American car guy who knows racing better than all the engineers and mechanics on his team. Why is he so good? Because for Sonny, it’s not about the money, it’s about the thrill of racing.
The accident that took Sonny from the sport back in the day was inspired by a real event. In 1990, Team Lotus driver, Martin Donnelly, crashed into a barrier and was thrown from his car at the Spanish Grand Prix. Sonny’s teammate Joshua’s crash was also relatable to how Romain Grosjean and Niki Lauda were caught in fires after crashing. For Lauda’s crash, another driver, Arturo Merzario, was one of the first drivers at the scene and pulled him from the vehicle similar to how Sonny does with Joshua.
Image of Niki Lauda’s Crash | DPA/Press Association Images
The racing was definitely a Hollywood take on how Formula 1 works. There were no practice or qualifying sessions shown. Though, they are mentioned once —when Sonny Hayes has to start at the back of the race after missing both. It’s a fun bit, but I am curious whether the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) would really allow that.
The driving technique Hayes uses in the movie is highly illegal and not allowed in the sport. In real life these cars are going 210-220mph. To crash intentionally would be to put your life and the lives of other drivers at risk. This tactic was caught once before in the sport. You can look up “Crashgate” or “Flavio Briatore” for more on that.
Nelson Piquet Jr (former F1 driver) | Flavio Briatore (Managing Director at the time) | Mark
Thompson/Getty Images 2006
The F1 movie held a lot of anticipation for followers of the Formula 1 racing world, myself included. The best parts were the racing sequences. Apple built a camera specifically for mounting on the car and capturing the speed and agility these cars have on track, and the new camera did not disappoint. The sound engineering was fantastic! I wish I had seen the movie in a Dolby Cinema because the audio and visual enhancement would have been more spectacular. Huge shout-out to the Sound Department. Give them their roses, please.
I do wish the story left less for wanting. It would have been nice to see what drove the rookie Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The most we learn about him is that, like Sonny, his father died when he was thirteen, and he thinks a lot about what audiences and reporters are saying about him online. Sonny, of course, teaches him to prioritize his racing and that when it comes to the online chatter, “It’s all just noise.” My issue with this is that the media and brand deals help a lot of aspiring F1 drivers with funding. It makes sense for Joshua to be concerned about a stream of income that helps him further his career.
Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce | Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes | Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures
Becoming a Formula driver at any level is expensive. Millions of dollars expensive, for just entry level racing. Yet, when Joshua tells Sonny, “I climbed a mountain to get here. Formula 1.” Sonny’s response is, “Back home they call that a participation trophy.” This was the worst line in the movie for me. I’m supposed to believe that Sonny was an up-and-coming Formula 1 racing driver and yet, he doesn’t recognize the insane amount of work and expense it takes to even reach that level? Then, to top it all off, the movie never acknowledges how difficult it is to reach the level of success Joshua achieved. It was a slap in the face to the sport.
One of the APEX GP pit crew members, Jodie—played by Callie Cooke—was a classic stock character, and I loved her all the more for it. A newbie getting their footing in a fast-paced world who improves over time with the encouragement of the protagonist. It was a nice moment when she told Sonny not to stick up for her because it made her look weak. It was a line that could have been delivered by either a female or male presenting character, and that is what made Jodie feel so real. She represented people trying to prove themselves in a high-stress environment where small mistakes have huge consequences, and I ate it up.
Callie Cooke as Jodie | Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures
Another character I loved was the Team Principal, Kaspar Smolinski, played by Kim Bodnia. Like many real Formula 1 Team Principals, Kaspar started on the pit crew. He tells Sonny briefly about his rear jack-man days. The job is to lift the back of the car while someone else lifts the front, so that the tire crew can change the tires during a pit stop. In the crazy last race, he hops back into the rear jack-man position and, in one push, jacks the car up so the team can get a fast pit stop. It was horribly irresponsible to do so with no protective gear, but it made for beautiful cinema. I didn’t even notice how unrealistic it was because I believed in how much his character loved the race. Round of applause for Kim Bodnia on his exceptional performance.
Kim Bodnia in costume at a race | Tariq Mikkel Khan
Kerry Condon played the love interest, Kate McKenna. She is the world’s first female Technical Director in Formula 1. She was great—until things became romantic. Before they had her give in to Sonny’s charm, the tension between the characters made a great subplot. She was focused on the race and had a love for the sport, something her character shared with Sonny.
He pushed her to think about wind dynamics and she pushed him to think about… sex. Then, after he gets the girl and wins the race, he leaves to race in the off-road Baja 1000. What a man, what man, what a man, what a mighty, mighty good man—I guess? Sonny is supposed to be super cool for that, but what does that make Kate? Just another conquest? Her character is meant to be a badass and equally as smart and capable as Sonny; a hero in her own right, but they don’t effectively show that side of her.
Kerry Codon as Kate McKenna | Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures
The writers missed a huge opportunity with her character by turning her into the love-struck girl stereotype after she sleeps with Sonny. When Ruben, the team owner, knocks on her door looking for Sonny she tries to lie about it then gives into the truth. It’s a funny moment but are we really meant to believe that a woman in her field would behave so childishly? Clinging to Sonny’s arm after they have sex and then lying to her boss before admitting what happened? Her character was almost great, but in the end she is just the 80s portrayal of a strong woman here to support the male lead.
F1: The Movie was not a bad movie. The race sequences and sound make up for the poor character development. The best part about going to see the movie, for me, was watching it with the community of people who taught me about the sport. I’ve learned so much by going to the East Bay Formula 1 rewatch gatherings and discover new aspects of racing just about every time.
For more on the technical aspects and chatter surrounding the film check out our article F1: The Movie, by Jacy Zeigler.
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