F1 was released on June 25, 2025. It really went under the radar throughout the summer, even though it grossed $630 million. It had a $250 million budget, which is just insanely high for not really having a star studded cast. It did get nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, and winning for Best Sound. It kind of snuck into the Best Picture nomination, as many thought it stole a spot from Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice. But still, this movie was extremely slept on. And upon rewatch, I don’t really see why. It’s simply one of the best movies of the past year.
Brad Pitt stars in this one as a 60 year old Sonny Hayes, a washed up race car driver, driving in semi-pro leagues around the country and living in a van. Then he is called out by his former competition and friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). Ruben offers Hayes a opportunity to come back to join him in F1 for team APXGP.
Given one last shot at hope in the biggest stage, Hayes decides to join Ruben and team APXGP. After a couple of rocky finishes and arguments with rookie teammate Joshua Pearce, (Damson Idris) they finally start to figure it out and get top finishes. But, they need a win by the end of the year or Ruben has to sell the team.
Going into the last race of the year, all hope is lost. Sonny is still recovering from an injury in the hospital, and the plans to buy the team are already being made. But then, out of nowhere, he returns. Sonny Hayes returns for the last race of the season and risking his life doing so.
He finally gets his first win in F1, decades after his first career start. Ruben gets to keep the team, and everyone is happy. Sonny Hayes rides off into the sunset, a winner.
It won the Oscar for Best Sound for a reason. Hans Zimmer delivers an unbelievable score in this film, which creates a higher level of energy for the final scenes in the race. Zimmer delivers again here, showing why he is one of the best in the business.
I think what makes this movie so great is just the overwhelming theme of hope. The entire team of APXGP has a sense of home the entire movie, through the highs and the lows. When they mess up, they learn that it’s okay, and to move on and get better.
No one has this theme more than the star of the show, Sonny Hayes. He gives the team the energy they need to finally get that first win. He even brings up his rookie teammate J.P, who we will discuss here soon.
Joshua Pearce and Sonny Hayes are the exact opposite. While Pearce drives to gain more fame and money, Hayes simply drives for the love of the game. He found his love of racing again in his older years, which is why he still does it. These differences between them push them apart initially, but then pulls them together to be a real team at the end of the movie, working together to get that win.
Pitt teams up with Joseph Kosinski, who received his fame for Top Gun:Maverick, and this mesh between the two is almost as good as the combination of Kosinski and Tom Cruise in that movie. Brad Pitt is shown for nearly the entire 156 minute runtime, and he is just so likeable. But isn’t he always?
He plays his classic tough, cool guy persona that he seems to play in every single movie. The Ocean’s trilogy, Fight Club, and Inglorious Bastards just to name a few. In every one, he stars out and makes himself the fan favorite, just as he does here. Kosinski saw what worked for Cruise and did the same with Pitt. It’s simple, but it works brilliantly.
This movie is convincing me to start watching real F1. That’s how good it looks here. It’s honestly amazing, and I loved every single moment of it. The 156 minute run time flies by here and you don’t even notice until the movie is over. Before the rewatch, I agreed with everyone that said No Other Choice deserved to get that last nomination. But now, F1 should of been higher up there!!