Have you ever sat down to watch a movie and, as it starts, think to yourself, “What am I doing here?” Well, that was exactly how I felt when I went to see F1: The Movie. I say that because, if I had to write a list of the sports I found the most boring, Formula 1 would 100 percent be at the top of that list! I am not the person this movie was made for, but thanks to the Cineworld Unlimited card that I have, I was looking for something to do on a rainy Tuesday afternoon and decided to give this a chance.
Where to Watch F1 The Movie
F1 The Movie was released on June 27, 2025. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review: Why I Gave F1 The Movie a Chance
To be honest, there were two reasons I was willing to give this a chance. First of all, I loved the Gran Turismo movie that came out a couple of years ago, and I had zero expectations of that, due to it being about motor racing. The other reason I was just a tiny bit interested was that the movie starred Brad Pitt and was brought to us partly by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Plot Summary and Characters
This is the story of an aging racing driver called Sonny, who is played by Brad Pitt. Sonny was in a bad crash many years ago and, since then, has shied away from the spotlight. He can still drive, though, but he has many personal problems, and he is just kind of coasting through life right now.
The Comeback Journey of Sonny
A former teammate of his by the name of Ruben reaches out to Sonny. Ruben now owns a racing team called APXGP and they kind of suck, but he wants Sonny to come and be some kind of test driver for them. APXGP is in a great deal of trouble, and if they do not manage to turn it around and at least do well in one of the remaining races, they will be sold off.
On-Track Drama and Romance
Despite not being brought in to be a racer, Sonny impresses enough, and he becomes an actual racer for the team. Sonny has a rival in the young hotshot racer, Joshua and there is a lot of tension. There is also a romantic subplot with a woman called Kate who works for the team, and this is one of the most tacked-on romances that I have seen in a movie for a very, very long time. You can see it coming from a mile away, and when they actually end up together at the end, I was kind of rolling my eyes at it.
F1 Fan Appeal and Real Racing Details
I can appreciate the racing action and drama here, and they use actual real F1 racers and teams. I am sure if you are an F1 fan, that is probably pretty awesome, and some of the racing was done very well. To be fair, I am clearly not the target audience for this movie, and I did not hate it, and I was not bored the whole time I was watching it. In many ways, it feels like a textbook, underdog sports movie of the aging athlete coming back for one more run, before finding meaning in his life.
Final Thoughts on F1: The Movie
While I do not regret going to see F1: The Movie in the theatre, I am pretty certain that I will go the rest of my life without watching this ever again. If you are an F1 fan, you will probably have a fun time with it and click with it way more than I did. Granted, I am not sure how comparable they are, but if I wanted to watch a movie about motor racing, I would watch Gran Turismo over this in a heartbeat.
