---
title: "F1"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/f1"
fi1m_id: "f1"
imdb_id: "tt16311594"
tmdb_id: 911430
wikidata_id: "Q114246242"
fi1m_score: 66
critics_score: 68
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:25.557004+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# F1 (2025)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski · 2h 36m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Drama, Sport

## Identity

F1

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/f1
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** f1
- **IMDb ID:** tt16311594
- **TMDB ID:** 911430
- **Wikidata ID:** Q114246242
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311594/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/911430, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114246242

**Fi1m score: 66** · Critics 68 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* The cars are real, the speed is real, and every line of dialogue could be read off a sponsor’s hoarding

> Joseph Kosinski puts a camera inside a real Formula One car and the racing is as thrilling as any we have seen on screen. Everything between the races is a sports film we have watched a dozen times, with better tailoring and a longer running time.

## Synopsis

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was a Formula One driver until a crash ended his career, and has spent the decades since racing whatever will have him. His former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) now owns APXGP, a team at the bottom of the grid and in danger of being sold, and persuades Sonny to come back for one season alongside the rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who does not think he needs a partner. Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) is the technical director trying to make their car competitive while the two drivers argue. Joseph Kosinski directs from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger; Lewis Hamilton is among the producers. It runs 156 minutes and carries a 12A.

## Review

Joseph Kosinski directed *Top Gun: Maverick*, in which an ageing man in a fast machine taught a younger man to be less careful. *F1* is the same film with the sky taken out. Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a driver whose Formula One career ended in a crash decades ago and who has driven whatever will have him since. His old teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) now owns APXGP, the worst team on the grid, and asks him back for one season to partner the rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The racing here is as good as any we have seen. The rest is a sports film we have watched many times before, and at 156 minutes we had time to notice.

Claudio Miranda, who also shot *Maverick*, fixes his cameras to the cars themselves, and the difference is plain in the first lap. The camera sits at the driver’s shoulder and the track comes at us in a grey smear with the kerbs snapping past on either side; when a car goes off, the world tips and we tip with it. Patrick J. Smith and Stephen Mirrione cut between cockpit, pit wall and helicopter at a rate that ought to be confusing and mostly is not, because they hold each onboard shot just long enough for us to feel the corner. The first full race had us leaning forward with our hands gripped together, and we do not follow the sport. It does this several times.

Hans Zimmer keeps his score to a low pulse under the engines and lets them do the talking; his big themes arrive between races, where there is less to compete with. Mark Tildesley and Ben Munro build the APXGP garage in black carbon and blue screens, always a little untidy, so it reads as a team that cannot afford its neighbours’ polish. Julian Day covers everyone in sponsor logos, as the sport requires, and puts Pitt in jeans and denim off duty so that he looks like a man who has wandered in from an older film.

Pitt plays it that way, loose and amused, doing his slow grin at anyone who tells him he cannot do something. It is a star performance rather than an acting one, and well judged for what this is. Idris has the harder part, a young man told he is the future and then told he is doing it wrong, and he plays the sulk and the pride without asking to be liked too soon. Bardem gives Ruben warmth and a permanent look of financial worry. Kerry Condon, as the technical director Kate McKenna, gives the most precise performance in the film and is asked to do the least with it: she designs the car, and then a man arrives to tell her about the car. Tobias Menzies watches from the hospitality suite as a board member with opinions.

The trouble is Ehren Kruger’s screenplay, which has one scene and writes it many times. Somebody tells Sonny he is too old. Somebody tells Joshua he is too young. Sonny says the car is not the point and then drives the car. Between these, the film relies on television commentary to tell us what we have just watched, a crutch in a drama. Around the ninety-minute mark the film starts swapping races for montages of them, drivers and crowds and podiums going by in a few seconds each, and our attention slipped. It came back. The pattern did not stop.

It is also, and nobody pretends otherwise, an advert. The film was shot at real Grand Prix weekends among the real teams, Lewis Hamilton is one of its producers, and no team boss ever says anything a sponsor would mind. This does not spoil the races. It does mean that when the film reaches for something about age and second chances, the reach is cautious, because the brand has to come out of the crash intact.

*Maverick* told a nearly identical story and knew when to stop talking. This one belongs in a cinema, on the largest screen we can find; the onboard shots need the size and the engines need the volume. At home the races shrink to something we might have caught on a Sunday afternoon, and the dialogue does not improve.

*Fi1m score 66, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics agree on what works: the racing. Nearly every review, favourable or not, praises the on-track sequences, the cameras mounted in the cars and Joseph Kosinski’s handling of speed, and several single out Brad Pitt’s ease in the lead and Damson Idris opposite him. The Guardian adds Kerry Condon as the strongest support.

The reservations cluster just as tightly. Off the track the story is called formulaic almost everywhere, a rerun of Top Gun: Maverick in Radio Times’s view, and many reviews note how openly the film doubles as an advert for Formula One. The spread is moderate rather than wide: most land somewhere between warm and indulgent, with a handful going further. The Times calls it the corniest sports film yet and Digital Spy finds it an empty spectacle with an unlikeable lead. Variety is the rare dissenter on the racing itself, finding the sequences fragmentary and at times confusing.

## Straight answers

**Is F1 worth watching?**

*F1* is worth watching for the racing alone, and we scored it 66. Joseph Kosinski puts cameras inside real Formula One cars and the onboard footage is as good as any we have seen, but Ehren Kruger’s script repeats one scene many times across 156 minutes. See it on the largest screen available; at home the races shrink and the dialogue does not improve.

**How long is F1, and what is it rated?**

*F1* runs 2h 36m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is an action and drama film.

**Where can I watch F1 in the US?**

*F1* is streaming on Apple TV, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to buy from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $14.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is F1, and is it suitable for children?**

*F1* is a 12A, and its violence is confined to racing crashes: cars go off the track and the camera tips with them, and the certificate implies nothing beyond that. There is no gore in the review’s account and nothing designed to frighten. Older children who can sit through 156 minutes should be fine; the sponsor-heavy dialogue is more likely to bore them than the crashes are to upset them.

**How does F1 compare to Rush?**

*F1* has the better racing and [*Rush*](https://film.one/film/rush) has the better drama. Kosinski’s onboard cameras put us in the cockpit in a way Ron Howard’s film does not, but *Rush* gives Hunt and Lauda a rivalry that matters, while *F1* keeps telling its two drivers they are too old or too young. Choose *Rush* for a story; choose *F1* for a big screen and loud engines.

**What should I watch after F1?**

After *F1*, try [*Rush*](https://film.one/film/rush) (2013, Fi1m 82): Hunt against Lauda, two men who hated each other and needed each other; the drama earns the racing. Then [*Senna*](https://film.one/film/senna) (2010, Fi1m 84): A documentary built from race footage; no actor could have played him better; and [*Days of Thunder*](https://film.one/film/days-of-thunder) (1990, Fi1m 61): The Bruckheimer template this film is built on, louder and less embarrassed about it.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **Empire**, Sophie Butcher (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the immersive racing sequences achieved with groundbreaking cameras and real F1 access, highlighting Kosinski's direction and the authentic depiction of the sport, while noting the plot outside races is somewhat formulaic. Verdict is highly positive, recommending it on the biggest screen. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/f1-the-movie/)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (4/4/4): The review hails it as a thrilling, entertaining dad movie with Brad Pitt in top form, but acknowledges it as a seductive PR exercise for the sport. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/f1)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's thrilling race sequences and how it embeds the fictional story in real F1 events, highlighting the performances of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris and the authentic feel of the racing drama. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/f1-the-movie-review-brad-pitt-damson-idris-joseph-kosinski-1236291870/)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (80/100, inferred): The review calls it a triumph as an elaborate advert for F1, praising the realism, stunt driving, and balanced rivalry, but notes the swaggering hero trope is tired; overall positive verdict on its spectacle and entertainment value. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/outrageously-expensive-and-super-glamorous-the-f1-movie-is-a-triumph-3767763)
- **The Telegraph** (80/100, inferred): The critic describes it as rousing, sleek entertainment with thrilling action scenes and a charming lead, though not quite reaching the heights of Top Gun: Maverick. It succeeds through brilliant execution despite being a branded brand-extension exercise. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/f1-the-movie-review-brad-pitt/)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): It praises the rip-roaring thrills, spectacle, and Pitt's charisma in a full-throttle sports movie triumph, despite clichéd elements. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/f1-review-2025)
- **The Guardian** (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an outrageously cheesy but entertaining macho melodrama with spectacular racing sequences and panache from director Kosinski. Pitt's limited range is bolstered by strong support, especially Kerry Condon, making the result surreal and spectacular for a non-fan. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/17/f1-the-movie-review-brad-pitt)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (3/5): The critic calls it thrilling on the track with stunning footage but two-dimensional and hammy off it, a fun but dumb re-run of Top Gun: Maverick. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/f1-review/)
- **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The review sees the film primarily as a showcase for Brad Pitt's star persona as an old-school cool driver, praising the racing sequences but noting it doesn't fully open up emotionally and is limited by its commercial nature. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-f1-is-really-about-brad-pitt-the-movie-star.html)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (50/100, inferred): The review calls it a turbocharged midlife crisis movie full of clichés and heavy product placement, corny yet exciting in parts. It praises the technical prowess of the race scenes and camera work while critiquing the corporate branding and predictable sports-movie tropes. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/f1-the-movie-is-one-long-midlife-crisis)
- **The AV Club**, Alex Lei (40/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a cynical branding exercise for Formula 1 aimed at new audiences rather than fans, criticizing its formulaic story, reliance on Pitt's star power, and use of commentary as a crutch while noting the technical achievements in filming. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/f1-the-movie-branding-exercise-marketing-content-intellectual-property)
- **Financial Times** (★★★★☆): The critic praises Brad Pitt’s charisma in a roaringly good tale of clashing racers and egos, with full-throttle confidence from Kosinski. The state-of-the-art race scenes and split-screen nods deliver sheer confidence despite the fantastical premise. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/36ef9771-d4ff-4b8e-9135-a7ab235d5753)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson: The pleasures of F1 are engineered to bypass the brain; it is muscular, thrilling, and zippy despite a toy-dump-truck’s worth of plot, built from the same chassis as Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick with an A-list reckless elder, upstart protégé, and high-octane mission. A charismatic Brad Pitt is the engine behind the loud and silly racing movie. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-06-26/f1-review-brad-pitt-javier-bardem-damsen-idris-kerry-condon)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Robert Daniels: The film is an expertly crafted but cold and machinelike crowd-pleaser about mentorship and stardom, with Pitt unable to match the emotional resonance of similar roles by Tom Cruise. The racing sequences provide sublime excitement thanks to the score, editing, and cinematography, making for a propulsive if undemanding ride. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/f1-the-movie-brad-pitt-film-review-2025)
- **Screen Daily**: Scintillating on the track with masterful setpieces but susceptible to every cliché of the sports film genre, relying on expert races to carry the derivative story. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/f1-review-brad-pitt-takes-the-wheel-in-joseph-kosinskis-immersive-racing-drama/5206103.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Nick James: The critic finds the film thrilling on the track but formulaic and thin on story off it, praising the masterful race sequences while noting the heavy branding and clichéd narrative. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/f1-movie-brad-pitts-racing-drama-aims-maximum-adrenal-thrills-minimal-storytelling)
- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang: The destination of this comeback narrative starring Brad Pitt may be predictable, but Joseph Kosinski’s direction ensures thrillingly tight turns en route in a snazzy piece of blockbuster engineering that is hugely enjoyable and astoundingly well made. The film’s pacing is at once patient and brisk, with hyperkinetic editing that makes the action cohere convincingly. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/30/f1-movie-review-sorry-baby)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: The easy and carefree F1 wants you to believe it is about winning and losing, talent and teamwork, and all the rough love and hard work that goes into Grand Prix glory, but it is really about the pleasures of the ultra-smooth performance machine that is Brad Pitt. Calculated yet almost touchingly sincere, the formulaic story deploys Pitt as a classic Hollywood star attraction in a professionally assembled spectacle that demands little beyond time and money. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/es/2025/06/28/espanol/cultura/f1-pelicula-resena-brad-pitt.html)
- **The Times** (★★☆☆☆): The review deems it the corniest, dumbest sports movie yet, resembling a two-and-a-half-hour advert for F1 with hoary clichés. It acknowledges the fabulous look from Kosinski but criticizes the unashamed cross-promotion and central story. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/f1-film-review-brad-pitt-ldp2wgrq5)
- **Variety**: Joseph Kosinski builds a high-powered movie out of Bruckheimer clichés, but that wouldn’t matter if the races were as dramatic as they are flashy; the film is an epic professional auto-race drama that looks and moves like a Formula One vehicle—dizzyingly fast and leaving second thoughts in the dust—yet relies on overly familiar formulas. Kosinski scores on atmosphere but stages the races in a fragmentary and at times confusing way. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/f1-review-brad-pitt-javier-bardem-damson-idris-1236432987/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (8/10): The critic calls it one of the most impressive and exciting racing films ever made and an absolute blast of a summer blockbuster. They single out the technical achievement of the races themselves, with immersive first-person shots and the emphasis on how every team member contributes to victory. [Read](https://collider.com/f1-movie-review-brad-pitt-joseph-kosinski/)
- **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (B): The critic calls the film an entertaining, muscular thrill ride that delivers visceral racing action and strong performances from Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. It succeeds on its own merits as propulsive, audience-pleasing drama despite some familiar elements. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/f1-review-brad-pitt-damson-idris-supercharge-joseph-kosinskis-entertaining-racing-drama-20250619/)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise (75/100, inferred): The critic finds F1 an amiable surrogate-family sports drama that never takes itself too seriously, with Brad Pitt fitting snugly into the maverick driver role. It singles out Pitt's star wattage and the emphasis on high-tech teamwork for praise while noting its nostalgic appeal alongside modern elements. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/06/f1-the-movie-review-brad-pitt-joseph-kosinski-old-school-racing-drama-1236435474/)
- **NME**, Nick Levine (75/100, inferred): The critic views it as a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that works as a popcorn flick with thrilling racing sequences. The high-octane celebration of Formula One and Hans Zimmer's score are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/f1-the-movie-review-brad-pitt-damson-idris-3872471)
- **/Film**, Witney Seibold (4.5/10): The critic finds the film a mixed bag that celebrates Brad Pitt's star power at the expense of depth, with a bloated runtime and poorly written female character. The exciting, well-shot racing sequences are the main point of praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1888380/f1-brad-pitt-movie-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an empty spectacle that fails to engage despite impressive racing scenes. Focus on an unlikeable lead character and too many montages over actual driving are singled out for complaint. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a65087600/f1-movie-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Joseph Kosinski
- **Director:** Joseph Kosinski
- **Screenplay:** Ehren Kruger
- **Story:** Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kruger
- **Cinematography:** Claudio Miranda
- **Editor:** Stephen Mirrione, Patrick J. Smith
- **Music:** Hans Zimmer
- **Production design:** Mark Tildesley, Ben Munro
- **Costume design:** Julian Day
- **Producer:** Lewis Hamilton, Joseph Kosinski, Chad Oman
- **Cast:** Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes; Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce; Javier Bardem as Ruben Cervantes; Kerry Condon as Kate McKenna; Tobias Menzies as Peter Banning; Kim Bodnia as Kaspar Smolinski; Sarah Niles as Bernadette; Will Merrick as Nickleby
- **Runtime:** 2h 36m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 27 June 2025
- **Genres:** Action, Drama, Sport
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2025)
- **Budget:** $300 million
- **Box office:** $634 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge_ABjtYx88

## Where to watch in the US

- Apple TV: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Rush* (2013), Fi1m 82: Hunt against Lauda, two men who hated each other and needed each other; the drama earns the racing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/rush.md)
- *Grand Prix* (1966): Frankenheimer bolted cameras to the cars sixty years ago and the results still hold.
- *Senna* (2010), Fi1m 84: A documentary built from race footage; no actor could have played him better. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/senna.md)
- *Le Mans* (1971): Steve McQueen, almost no dialogue, and a film content simply to watch cars go round.
- *Days of Thunder* (1990), Fi1m 61: The Bruckheimer template this film is built on, louder and less embarrassed about it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/days-of-thunder.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/f1