F1 The Movie – Inside Pulse

Let’s preface this review by saying I’ve never watched F1 in my life and have no real interest in racing. I’ve heard that there’s drama involved from people who do enjoy it, but it’s just not something that draws me in. I say this so that those who may be interested in watching F1 but may not be fans of the sport can read this review knowing it’s from the perspective of someone likeminded. For those of you who love F1 and are fully immersed in it, well, I welcome you to continue reading as well, but odds are you’re one of the many who helped make F1 The Movie the highest grossing racing film of all-time, so for you the main interest may be “does it deliver the same quality home viewing experience as I witnessed theatrically?” We’ll get to that, but first let’s start with the rest.

A big selling point to let audiences know they’re in good hands is that F1 The Movie is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who is a name you may not yet recognize, however you will know the movie he directed previously, which was Best Picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick. Yes, the film that put audiences into the cockpit alongside Maverick in the sky now place the viewer in the cockpit of an F1 racer right on the track. It’s such a fantastic tool that Kosinski carries over, and while we’ve seen many racing movies that do put audiences inside the car, there’s just something special about how it’s done here.

One of the craziest notes that you’ll learn more about when diving into the special features on the disc is that the F1 movie was filmed during the actual Formula 1 season, with the cast and crew finding ways to quickly insert themselves onto the track before the race began, or in the pit during the race. This was an extremely intense shoot with many scenes only getting one chance to be captured, as the crew had to promise never to actually interfere or cause a delay in any of the races. While I couldn’t name them, fans of F1 will recognize racers standing alongside the actors during the national anthems, or on the sidelines at random times, much like you’d see when watching or attending an F1 race. That’s how natural they made the APXGP team seem out there.

It’s been this long and I still haven’t talked about the film’s star, Brad Pitt, and it may be surprising for some to learn that F1 The Movie is his highest grossing film ever. Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a once racing prodigy who now spends his latter years competing in any random race he can enter. The film begins with him taking the night shift during 24 Hours of Daytona, recapturing the lead for his team and helping them win the whole thing. He gets his cheque and leaves without worrying about the trophy or accolades. He’s in it for the love of racing and he’s ready to move on to the next event.

That is until his former teammate Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem) hunts him down and asks him to join his struggling F1 team, which risks being sold and putting Cervantes in financial ruin if they can’t turn the season around. Hayes agrees and heads to Silverstone (which is a famous track for those who know F1 and…well, just a race track for those like me who don’t) where he meets the team, including the cocky rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who is someone that comes off as more worried about endorsements and social media presence than making sure the APXGP team is at their best.

Does this sound like the cliché older vet has to help the younger rookie realize the true meaning of what it is to love racing? Sure, it does have those vibes and tropes mixed in, but that’s okay. I’m actually all for it in these types of films, as sure it’s great to get unique takes on things, but driver drama is one of the things that is a big selling point to those who love racing, so it’d almost be unrealistic to not have it be a part of a movie about Formula 1. Pitt and Idris also have great chemistry, and their characters bounce off of one another wonderfully. While it’s not breaking new ground, their relationship throughout the ups and downs of the story grows naturally and never feels like it’s part of a paint-by-numbers story.

Sonny being rough around the edges and someone who played by his own rules – to the detriment of his early and overall career – adds nice layers to the character and story. Sure, we’ve had young, arrogant and brash characters in the past, such as Cole Trickle (still one of the coolest names in a movie) in Days of Thunder, and they also don’t follow the rules or need to learn how to do so as their character growth; however, unlike those younger characters, Hayes is already in his 50s in the film. He is who he is and he’ll race the way he races. Does that mean he has no character growth? No, he does on other levels; however, when it comes to racing he’ll do what he’s always done and that’s what makes the character so fun and appealing to watch, and having a great actor like Pitt pulling the strings just makes it that much better.

What F1 The Movie also does well for those like me who aren’t fans of F1 and don’t know the lingo or the importance of Silverstone or the difference between hard or soft tires being used at various times in the races is have the characters explain almost everything at a level that everyone can get the gist of all while not making it sound like the characters are saying things that would be illogical. Obviously, everyone on a racing team knows why things are happening and having someone break down soft tires to another in reality would have that person say, “Are you explaining soft tires to me? I designed the car!” but screenwriter Ehren Kruger finds a balance where the characters will say something in pacing that is obvious to anyone around them and those watching who know racing, but explains it in quick and concise ways to those like me who don’t know these things so that I’ll now understand what’s happening, all while those who already know won’t feel like they’re being talked down to. It’s handled quickly and well and happens quite often, but it just feels natural that even though I knew they were explaining something to viewers like me it was over in a sentence and never slowed the action or story down a bit.

And the action! There are some amazing races, crashes and driving done throughout the film and F1 The Movie, much like Kosinski’s Maverick, will no doubt find its way onto many award nomination lists come awards season. Fans of racing will love it, and those who don’t will also have no trouble being pulled in by the intensity and drama that’s so neatly spread around. The film is two-and-a-half hours long, but it’s one of those movies where the length isn’t felt because it’s paced so well, taking the viewer from one race to the next, one problem to the next, one character finding growth to the next. It’s an intense, energetic, constantly moving film that never needs to find the time to make a pitstop as far as storytelling goes and it’s all the better for it.

Overall Movie Score: 4.5/5

4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:

F1 The Movie is one of those films that you use to showcase your home entertainment system to friends – or simply embrace in its entirety alone and in bliss with all it has to offer. The 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision looks flawless, showcasing every detail a viewer could want to see and then some. The various weather conditions that the drivers face are seen clear as day, with rain and wet tracks looking as daunting to us as they would to the drivers (okay, that’s a stretch, but they do the trick of making one watching realize why it’s so dangerous to race on them). The film moves fast and there’s not one aspect of the visuals that I can think of to complain about. It’s a film that completely transports you into the world of F1 and often by sticking you in the driver’s seat. Doing that with the most pristine picture quality one could ask for? Well, that’s a win by any and all standards.

On the audio side of things is it any surprise that we’re equally treated to perfection? The Dolby Atmos audio does what it was born to do with a film like this, with engines revving up all around, and the viewer being completely immersed into the car as it whips around the track. There’s almost too much to boast about, with the sound effects and mixes all working together in chaotic harmony, all while the dialogue is allowed to shine through crisp and cleanly from center stage. This is a one two audio/visual punch that would lead any F1 team to the championship.

Special Features:

Inside the “F1 The Movie” Table Read – This is a five-minute featurette that sees some of the cast and crew talking about how excited they were to be a part of the film and we also get to see a lead in to the first table read with all involved.

The Anatomy of a Crash – Here we’ve got a featurette that’s just over 6-minutes and aptly breaks down one of the crashes in the film, which is actually loosely inspired by Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean’s Bahrain crash in 2020. This is a fast watch, but also quite informative and fun.

Getting Up to Speed – Another 5-minute featurette that sees Pitt and Idris showcasing how they learned to become racing drivers for the film. We’ve got Luciano Bacheta and Craig Dolby, the lead driving choreographers, who talk about the hard work and dedication that the two actors put in to get up to speed.

APXGP Innovations – This featurette is just over 5-minutes in length and we learn how the sound, camera, RF, rigging, stunt and SFX crews all innovated and found new ways to bring the viewer into the action for the film.

Making it to Silverstone – This is another 5-minute featurette (seeing a trend?) that shows the first days of filming at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix in 2023, and how it took years of planning and rehearsal to get to the point of delivering the goods in the limited time they had, all while not disturbing the integrity of the race.

Lewis Hamilton: Producer – Another 5-minute featurette that sees Lewis Hamilton talk about how Kosinski called him to be a part of the team, how much the filmmakers valued his input, how he influenced parts of the script and film as well as visiting the set repeatedly throughout filming.

APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World – This is a 9-minute featurette that showcases how the cast and crew travelled the world alongside F1 to bring the movie to life. There are fun bits of the team being welcomed by seasoned F1 teams into their paddocks and just some fun viewing for fans of racing and filmmaking alike.

APXGP and F1: How it was Filmed – This is a 6-minute featurette that talks about how the cast and crew had one hour to film the Red Flag sequence, as it was the climax of the film and truly showcased the partnership between F1 and the 10 actual race teams to make this scene a reality during the actual racing season.

Sound of Speed – We’ve got one more 5-minute featurette that sees Hans Zimmer at the first recording session for his epic score for the film. We’ve also got producer Jerry Bruckheimer joining him, and it’s just awesome to see Zimmer in his element, talking about what it’s like to bring these scores to life with an orchestra.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents F1 The Movie. Directed by: Joseph Kosinski. Written by: Ehren Kruger, Joseph Kosinski. Starring: Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia. Running time: 155 Minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Oct. 7, 2025.