Former F1 driver Michael Schumacher in Ferrari 248 F1 at the Grand Prix de Monaco 2006.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.

I saw “F1: The Movie” (from now on referred to as “F1”) five times in theaters this summer. 

Yes, you read that correctly. I saw it on five separate occasions, and it is hands down my favorite movie of the year. Before I continue, I should make it clear that I’ve seen a large number of other movies released in 2025, so you can trust my opinion on this.

“F1” follows the fictional story of former F1 driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) as he hops from race to race trying to fulfill his need for speed. Although he was once a promising young driver, a freak accident ruined his chances of becoming one of the greats. When an old teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) offers him the chance to return to Formula One to help save his team, APXGP, Sonny can’t turn him down. Working alongside talented technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) and arrogant rookie, Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris), Sonny bends the rules of racing and ultimately leads the team to victory. 

This movie was exceptionally done. Joseph Kosinski (who also directed “Top Gun: Maverick”) wanted to capture Formula One and the drivers’ feelings behind the wheel. After he and cinematographer Claudio Miranda came up with the idea, they immediately brought on seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, one of the drivers for Ferrari’s team. 

Hamilton produced the film and also acted as a technical director — giving pointers on what it’s actually like to be a driver. According to an Instagram post about the film, he could hear what gear an actor was driving in and then tell them that he would be driving in a different gear over a given turn. By listening to the sound of the car, Hamilton knew what they were doing and was able to help them make decisions that would make the sequence more accurate. 

The cast trained for four months before shooting, starting in an F3 car and eventually moving up. Everyone involved wanted to do everything for real. There were no green screens or sped-up moments; everything was authentic. Formula One drivers like Charles Leclerc also drove cars in the movie and even appeared on podiums or in the background at times. 

They filmed “F1” over the course of the actual racing season, filming in between races and qualifiers on the actual tracks. They would take advantage of the large crowds during a weekend of Formula One by filming during the brief windows where there were breaks in the action during real qualifying rounds. “It was a rush to see Brad really going out there with all the race fans watching,” Miranda said in an August interview with American Cinematographer. Formula One gave the APXGP team its own garage in the pit lane next to the official teams’ spaces, which allowed the filmmakers to shoot scenes while the action of a race was going on. They had to work with Formula One to make sure that they weren’t jamming any of the cars with all the electronics. 

When Kosinski screened “F1” for the actual Formula One drivers, “they loved it.” Miranda said, “They got a little mad— jokingly — when our drivers would pass them in the movie! They were complimentary about the way we shot the movie and how it felt real, not gimmicky. That’s a great testament to the job we did,” Miranda stated in American Cinematographer. (Don’t take it from me, take it from the Formula One drivers themselves.) 

The production’s race cars were actually the heavier and slightly less powerful models that F2 uses. However, the vehicles were modified by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team to replicate the base frame of the longer Formula One vehicles. The filmmakers had 15 possible camera-mount positions, which went from the cars’ front wings to their rear ends and enabled them to capture the action from every direction. They mounted a maximum of four cameras on a car for any setup.

“Cameras and mounts were changed constantly; we could not put all the cameras out [on the cars],” Miranda said. “It would have been too hard to drive, and we did not want to do unnecessary cleanup (digitally). We used the cameras as we needed for the shots we were trying to achieve.” 

I’m including all of this background information to show how authentic this film feels. I had the pleasure of seeing it both in IMAX and Dolby, the best sound and visuals that you could ask for in a movie theater. It truly felt like I was sitting in the car beside the actors, living my completely unrealistic dream of racing at a Formula One grand prix. It’s truly one of the most accurate racing movies out there. 

While some elements were obviously exaggerated to make it a movie that appeals to a broader audience, the film still feels realistic. Walking out of the theater, I overheard many people asking if it was based on a true story (it’s not). That’s how real it feels. 

The characters are all unique and have strong arcs throughout the film, and the cast absolutely delivered. Please cast Kerry Condon in every single movie from now on. Brad Pitt is also great, and I absolutely loved Damson Idris and the way he portrayed Joshua Pierce. 

I also can’t forget to mention the soundtrack. This movie had some bangers that I continue to listen to on repeat. “Lose My Mind,” “Drive,” and “Bad As I Used to Be” are my favorites, but truly, you can’t go wrong with any of the songs on the soundtrack. 

This film was exceptionally well done. The story, the execution, the cast, the music, everything came together so perfectly, making this my favorite movie of 2025 hands down. And while I’ve seen it so many times that I can quote most of it from memory, I still want to see it again. So, does anyone want to come with?