Every year, we’re bombarded with movies that promise action, speed, and emotion. Some deliver the basics. But every now and then, something comes along that pushes the boundaries of the genre. F1®️ The Movie is not just a “Formula 1 film” — it’s a deep study of redemption, legacy, ego, and passion, wrapped in a breathtaking audiovisual spectacle.
Under the precise direction of Joseph Kosinski, with Brad Pitt delivering a singular performance, Hans Zimmer composing a score that explodes the senses, and cinematography that feels like a love letter to the tarmac, this film redefines what we expect from a sports story. And it does all that with brutal realism, emotional sensitivity, and overflowing energy.
The soul of the film is Sonny Hayes, portrayed with surprising depth by Brad Pitt, who gives one of the most mature, nuanced, and emotionally restrained performances of his career.
Hayes is a former legendary driver, carrying the glory of a distant past and the burden of having left it all behind. He’s no longer young. His reflexes have dulled. The shine is gone. But the spark is still there, that fire that never fully went out. And it’s that spark that pulls him back to the track, when a fading team invites him to mentor a young prodigy (brilliantly played by Damson Idris).
Damson Idris delivers a brilliant, breakout performance in F1®️ The Movie, playing a young, razor-sharp driver whose natural talent is rivaled only by his emotional complexity. As the protégé, or perhaps the reluctant student—of Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes, Idris portrays a character who isn’t just racing cars; he’s racing thoughts, emotions, expectations. He cares too much—about legacy, about perception, about the world beyond the white lines of the track. And in Formula 1, that kind of distraction can cost everything.
Where Pitt’s Sonny represents old-school grit, zen-like focus, and “shut up and drive” wisdom, Idris is the embodiment of a new generation, connected, cerebral, and conflicted. Their chemistry is electric. Sonny doesn’t just have to mentor him in driving, but in mentality. In one of the film’s most gripping arcs, Sonny must teach the kid that in order to truly win, you have to let go of everything that doesn’t serve the race. The audience watches Idris wrestle with this lesson in real time, and he nails every beat—from the quiet moments of self-doubt to the raw, visceral outbursts when it all becomes too much.
What’s so impressive is how Damson Idris never lets the character slip into cliché. He plays him with soul and dimension—never just “the hot-headed rookie,” but a fully fleshed-out human trying to find balance in a world that demands tunnel vision. His scenes opposite Pitt feel like a passing of the torch, not just in the story, but in cinematic charisma. This isn’t just a supporting role, it’s a statement.
Damson Idris doesn’t just keep up with Brad Pitt, he challenges him. And in doing so, he proves he’s one of the most exciting young actors on the track, and the screen.
Pitt doesn’t play Hayes as a traditional hero. He’s flawed. He’s stubborn. He’s a man haunted by mistakes and unresolved choices. But above all, he’s a real, tangible, complex human being. His eyes carry years of inner defeats and unfulfilled dreams. When he gets in the car, you feel that it’s more than just speed — it’s a desperate attempt to reclaim something time has taken.
Few contemporary directors have such elegant control over form and function as Joseph Kosinski. And here, after reinventing the modern blockbuster with Top Gun: Maverick, he delivers another masterpiece.
In F1®️ The Movie, Kosinski doesn’t direct a racing film. He builds a ritual, a visual and emotional study of a universe where every millisecond is a matter of life, pride, pain, or glory.
Kosinski’s style is technical, almost mathematical, but never loses the human factor. He choreographs the races with precision but injects real emotion into them. A close-up on Sonny’s eyes inside the helmet carries as much weight as a risky overtake at 300 km/h. He knows exactly where to place the camera, when to let sound take over, when silence should scream louder.
It’s the union of raw realism and elevated cinematic language. And that’s what makes F1®️ The Movie unique — it makes you feel every turn with your heart, not just your eyes.
Claudio Miranda’s cinematography is, without exaggeration, one of the cinematic highlights of 2025. Miranda, who had already delivered stunning visual work on Life of Pi and Top Gun: Maverick, returns here with a style that blends documentary realism and visual artistry.
The scenes inside the cockpits are shot with cutting-edge miniaturized cameras that capture every vibration, every drop of sweat, every tremble of the steering wheel. Drones follow the cars at absurd speeds, spinning around them in insane long takes that would make even the calmest viewer grip their seat.
But Miranda goes further. He plays with light, color temperature, focus and blur to place us not only inside the car but inside the minds of the drivers. A sunset race becomes a golden dance of light and shadow. A storm during the Belgian GP turns into a visual nightmare thick with tension.
It’s a work that doesn’t just record racing — it creates a new visual language for speed.
If there’s someone capable of turning engines into music, that someone is Hans Zimmer.
His score for F1®️ The Movie is an event in itself. Zimmer composed each theme based on the actual rhythm of the races, creating beats that raise the viewer’s heart rate. The music doesn’t just follow the action — it amplifies it.
The soundtrack mixes heavy synthesizers, tribal percussion, dramatic strings, and agonizing silences, all calculated to the millisecond. When Hayes steps on the gas, the bass explodes. When the young driver doubts himself, the notes falter. When the final race begins, Zimmer throws us into a sonic and emotional spiral of pure catharsis.
The result? One of the most important and intelligent scores of Zimmer’s career — and perhaps one of the most iconic ever composed for a sports film.
With Lewis Hamilton as executive producer, the film had full access to the real backstage world of Formula 1 — equipment, circuits, teams. And that makes ALL the difference.
Appearances by real-life drivers, engineers, team principals, and even journalists not only enhance authenticity — they build a world where fiction and reality collide in a fluid, almost magical way.
The level of technical detail is astounding: from team radios to car telemetry, from strategic discussions to the drama of political decisions behind the scenes, everything sounds and feels genuine. Casual viewers are welcomed, but F1 fans will find references, tributes, and Easter eggs that make the film a true gift.
F1®️ The Movie is more than the wildest film of the summer, it’s a true monument to passion, speed, and the human spirit. It’s a film that throws you into the cockpit with your heart in your throat, but also makes you reflect on time, loss, pride, and unfinished dreams.
Joseph Kosinski delivers a direction with surgical precision and soul, Brad Pitt gives us a performance that transcends the genre, and Hans Zimmer composes a score that imprints on the body like the roar of an engine about to explode. All wrapped in jaw-dropping cinematography and a fidelity to Formula 1 that honors every fan, from rookies to veterans.
It’s not just a movie about cars. It’s about what drives us to keep going even when we’ve already slowed down. About the desire to leave a mark, to inspire someone, to try one more perfect lap before the final flag.
And in the end, when the credits roll and you can barely breathe from the emotional overload, you realize:
In the end, this masterpiece makes you… FLY.
F1: The Movie releases in theaters on June 27.
