[FILM REVIEW] F1: THE MOVIE Review (2025)

July 3, 2025July 3, 2025 Dave Abdul Salis, Alexander Albon, Brad Pitt, Callie Cooke, Carlos Sainz, Central Coast Radio, Charles Leclerc, Christian Horner, Damson Idris, Daniel Riccardo, David Croft, David Griffiths, Ehren Kruger, Esteban Ocon, F1: The Movie, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Freric Vasseur, George Russell, Guenther Steiner, Jack Doohan, James Vowles, Javier Bardem, Joseph Balderrama, Joseph Kosinski, Kerry Condon, Kevin Magnussen, Kim Bodnia, Kyle McGrath, Kyle Rankin, Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Liam Lawson, Liz Kingsman, Logan Sergeant, Luciano Bacheta, Martin Brundle, Max Verstappen, Natalie Pinkham, Nico Hulkenberg, Nyck de Vries, Oliver Bearman, Oscar Piastri, Patrick Long, Pierre Gasly, Rachel Brookes, Rachel Walters, Romano Von Pusch, Rosie Dwyer, Samson Kayo, Sarah Niles, Sergio Perez, Shea Whigham, Simon Kunz, Simone Ashley, Stefano Domenicali, The Popcorn Conspiracy Radio Show, Tiesto, Tobias Menzies, USA, Valtteri Bottas, Will Buxton, Will Merrick, Yuki Tsunosa, Zak Brown, Zhou Guanyu

Summary: A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.

Year: 2025

Cinema Release Dates: 26th June 2025 (Australia), 26th June 2025 (Thailand), 25th June 2025 (UK), 25th June 2025 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA

Country: USA

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger

Cast: Alexander Albon (self)), Fernando Alonso (self)), Simone Ashley (self), Luciano Bacheta (Luca Cortez), Joseph Balderrama (Fazio), Javier Bardem (Ruben Cervantes), Oliver Bearman (self)), Kim Bodnia (Kaspar Smolinski), Valtteri Bottas (self)), Rachel Brookes (self)), Zak Brown (self)), Martin Brundle (self)), Will Buxton (self)), Franco Colapinto (self)), Kerry Condon (Kate McKenna), Callie Cooke (Jodie), David Croft (self)), Nyck de Vries (self)), Stefano Domenicali (self)), Jack Doohan (self)), Rosie Dwyer (Pippa Leguin), Pierre Gasly (self)), Zhou Guanyu (self)), Lewis Hamilton (self)), Christian Horner (self)), Nico Hulkenberg (self)), Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce), Samson Kayo (Cash), Liz Kingsman (Lisbeth Bampton), Simon Kunz (Don Cavendish), Liam Lawson (self)), Charles Leclerc (self)), Patrick Long (self)), Kevin Magnussen (self)), Tobias Menzies (Peter Banning), Will Merrick (Nickleby), Sarah Niles (Bernadette), Lando Norris (self)), Esteban Ocon (self)), Sergio Perez (self)), Oscar Piastri (self)), Natalie Pinkham (self)), Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes), Kyle Rankin (Cale Kelso), Daniel Riccardo (self)), George Russell (self)), Carlos Sainz (self)), Abdul Salis (Dodge), Logan Sargeant (self)), Guenther Steiner (self)), Lance Stroll (self)), Tiesto (self)), Yuki Tsunoda (self)), Frederic Vasseur (self)), Max Verstappen (self)), Romona Von Pusch (Liesl), James Vowles (self)), Rachel Walters (Molly – Sonny’s Assistant), Shea Whigham (Chip Hart), Toto Wolff (self))

Running Time: 155 minutes

Classification: M (Australia), 13 (Thailand), 12-A (UK), PG-13 (USA)

OUR F1: THE MOVIE REVIEWS

David Griffiths and Kyle McGrath’s F1 Review

There was once a time in Hollywood when an actor hanging off a town clock by ropes was considered an epic stunt. Then came the Western genre actors who could throw themselves off a galloping horse without hurting themselves. Brilliant at the time but kind of tame when you consider the stunts that the likes of Tom Cruise have put themselves through in recent years.

Now comes a film that does something that no other film has done previously – literally inject actors into the world of car racing in such a way they found themselves driving alongside champion drivers like Lewis Hamilton during actual Formula 1 practice sessions. Not only is F1 a stunning film the way it has come together will go down in cinematic history.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) F1: The Movie follows what happens when APX team principal Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem – Skyfall) turns to his old friend and former racing rival Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt – Fight Club) to try and salvage his ailing Formula 1 team.

As a team APX has never really got off the ground. They have never had a podium place in a race and most of the time their cards don’t even finish races. Now Ruben knows if things don’t quickly turn around then the Board will force him to sell the team.

Sonny however is not the normal Formula 1 driver. He is older than most on the grid and has already failed as a Formula 1 driver once before. His aggressive style of driving won him no friends and after a life-threatening crash he decided that he was happy with a life of living in a van while picking up drives in various motor sport disciplines over the years.

When he arrives at APX he finds himself paired with talented young driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris – Farming) who seems more into the lavish lifestyle of a driver than he is to do the hard work and sit down and help people like team engineer Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon – Unleashed) get the team back on track.

The story at hand with F1: The Movie is not new. In fact we have seen it on screen a number of times from Champions: The Mighty Ducks right through to Days Of Thunder but it is the way that Joseph Kosinski has put this film together that makes it so special.

There is no CGI or staged events here instead Kosinski and his cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life Of Pi) took their cast and crew to actual Grand Prixs on the Formula 1 races and embedded themselves amongst the people working there. The result is something spectacular not only are they able to capture epic shots of the Grand Prix events from drones and helicopters but can also do simpler things like having their characters walk past known Formula 1 identities like Toto Wolff.

The realism that that adds to the film is out of this world – and as a Formula 1 fan and film lover the scenes of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris standing on the grid while people like Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri get ready to race will stay with me for a long time come. Then there are also the scenes of Kerry Condon standing on the pit wall as an actual race thunders past her – it must have been a stunning experience for both cast and crew alike.

Talking of the cast the one thing that hits you while watching the film is the stress that Pitt and Idris must have been under while making this film. Not only were there own lives on the line when they got behind the wheel of actual Formula 1 cars but imagine how they must have felt while out on the track and having the world’s best drivers driving around them. Not only would there be the pressure of them looking stupid if something went wrong but they would constantly be thinking about the fact that one mistake by them could have caused millions of dollars worth of damage to cars owned McLaren, Ferrari or Red Bull. It is fairly safe to say that no other actors would have ever acted under such pressure previously – and the fact that they would have also had to remember lines and remember to act probably means that they will be more deserving of many of the Awards handed out later this year that most of their peers would be.

While the posters and trailers are billing F1: The Movie is an experience it is more than that. This is not just an event this is a piece of cinematic history. In a time when many say that cinema has lost its creativity what Kosinski, Pitt and Idris have put themselves through to bring this move to an audience is nothing short of a miracle.

Dave’s rating Out Of 5

Kyle’s rating Out Of 5

Average Subculture rating Out Of 5

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