I finally watched F1: The Movie, and I’ll start by saying I was entertained, for sure, but I wasn’t impressed, and I accept I am probably not their target audience.
I couldn’t help but think that the APXGP car was actually a Formula 2 car, so I had to sort of erase that from my mind. From there, it became a roller-coaster ride of just about everything in modern Formula 1 that has piqued interest over the years, from Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash to poor Kevin Magnussen getting roasted every time he got in the way of one of the Apex cars. Funny, I hope K-Mag got money for that!
There were a couple of ultra-fast cameos from Formula 1 big-hitters Stefano Domenicali and Toto Wolff, who also signed on as producers. Of course, Lewis Hamilton had a big role in the movie’s production and appeared briefly on screen, but credit to him for not hogging the limelight. It was nice and subtle.
Fernando Alonso greeting Brad Pitt was a cool moment. It was the second-oldest driver greeting the oldest driver on the grid, and no doubt giving Fernando inspiration that if he’s still around in his 60s, he could probably keep driving. And knowing the Spaniard, don’t bet against it.
I will say, though, that it felt a bit demeaning to women. The technical director role turned into a groupie situation, with her sleeping with the star driver, Brad of course. I can’t imagine Fernando sleeping with Adrian Newey, but it did make me wonder if drivers actually have relationships with team personnel, males and females. That whole angle felt strange and unnecessary.
Why didn’t the two women get it together? Or they could simply have left the bonking part out. Why? It triggers uncomfortable suggestions about women and men working together in teams. Do they really bonk around like that? Maybe it’s meant to reflect the modern world, but as far as I’m concerned, it didn’t really work. Rather, prompting hitherto unthought-of scenarios.
Sonny Hayes was like a Romain Grosjean on steroids
A couple of glaring issues for me were that Sonny was breaking just about every rule in the book, with the film suggesting it was all acceptable. Holding up the field deliberately, openly instructing the team over the radio how to conduct play, and getting involved in far too many eyebrow-raising incidents just felt excessive. It came across as a loose interpretation of Romain Grosjean’s Formula 1 career on steroids, and condensed into half a dozen races.
Spoiler alert! In the end, unexpectedly, Sonny wins. Redemption for the 60-something dropout. But my other gripe is that Joshua Pearce was far too happy watching his teammate succeed. That’s not how Formula 1 drivers are wired, or racers in general. If that happens and your teammate wins after you’ve had beef with him, you’re on the first jet out of there. Was there beef or wasn’t there? Seemed not in the end.
All in all, as I said at the start, it was entertaining. And while I thought it would be hard to accept Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver, especially at 63, it didn’t bother me as much as I expected. It was obvious he was older than everyone else, no matter how good-looking and well-kept he is.
In closing, I think they missed a trick. They could have written a smarter script instead of Top Gun adapted to a Formula 1 script. Using Martin Donnelly’s horrific accident as the catalyst for Sonny’s failure to attain Formula 1 stardom. Instead of the gambling loser path the fictional character took, they might have followed Sonny through a gruelling comeback, rehabilitating, training from karting back to the top tier of the sport, which in my opinion, would have been far more plausible. But as I wrote before, I am not the target audience.
And i do hope Donnelly got a chunk of cash for that footage they used or mimicked. I was there it was horrific.
Nevertheless, it was a good look for Formula 1 from a Hollywood perspective. It could have been much worse. If you get the chance, as I did on a long-haul flight from Johannesburg to Munich, switch it on, have a watch, and share your thoughts. It’s better than I expected it would be and a couple of hours well spent when nailed to a seat for eight hours or so.
And you can’t argue with this: “F1: The Movie performed strongly at the global box office, opening with around $146 million worldwide and leading international charts on debut. The film has grossed $630 million globally, becoming Brad Pitt’s highest-earning movie to date and one of the most commercially successful motorsport films ever released.”