With F1: The Movie, Joseph Kosinski set out to create “one of the most authentic racing films ever.” Sure, he has that Top Gun pedigree, but was that enough to deliver something that would satisfy both cinephiles and fans of the sport? Did he deliver? Yes. Yes he did. F1 is a visual spectacle, one that perfectly immerses us in the dangerous, high-octane world of strategy, teamwork, and split-second decision making that are hallmarks of the sport.
So how realistic is F1 compared to the actual world championship bearing its name? As someone who has been an avid fan since its spike in popularity in recent years (largely thanks to the sensational Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive), here’s my take on what F1 gets right and wrong about the sport.
The Need for Speed
Let’s get started with the elephant in the room: Is the racing any good?
In a word, “yes!” The film’s racing is absolutely exhilarating. The filmmakers had gone the extra mile in the production process by partnering with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team to modify a Formula Two car for use in the film. In addition, the film had seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (also a producer) to help physically train the actors to withstand the forces of driving the cars at insane speeds, and Kosinski’s technical expertise shines through as he genuinely captures the intensity of enduring significant G-forces.
There’s also a moment in the film when one of the Expensify APX GP drivers experiences a high-speed crash, leaving him trapped inside the car as it catches fire. This incident combines both a real Formula Two crash that involved a car flipping into the air, and Romain Grosjean’s fiery, high-speed crash during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, where his car split in half and burst into flames after impacting a barrier at high speeds.
“We Need To Build Our Car For Combat”
Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes was a rising talent who raced through the 1993 season before a horrific crash almost threatened to end his career for good (his actual crash was taken from the real story of Martin Donnelly’s crash at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix). One of his trademarks is his aggressive driving style — something he leans into heavily when his former teammate, and now team owner, pulls him back into the world of F1 to drive for APX GP. His style is so distinctive that desperation forces the team to eventually leans into that chaos.
That style might not ring a bell for casual viewers, but ask any fan of the sport about an aggressive driver who knows no fear when it comes to wheel-to-wheel racing, and all roads will point to one name: Max Verstappen, who was also featured in this film expressing his disdain at Hayes’ antics.
While it’s nowhere as dramatic as Sonny’s driving style, Verstappen has gone head-to-head with several drivers, including a high-profile rivalry with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021, when the Dutchman was gunning for his first World Drivers’ Championship. Notable incidents that year included a high speed crash at Silverstone, Verstappen landing on top of Hamilton’s car in Monza, and numerous incidents where Verstappen forced him off the track.
Keep Your Friends Close…
Despite F1 being a team sport, there’s often a saying that your teammate is your first competition since they are the only ones who racing alongside you in equal machinery. F1 captures this idea through Sonny’s relationship with his hot-shot rookie teammate Joshua Pearce, who agonizes over the fact that he’s slower than someone who’s been away from the sport for over 30 years.
This reminds F1 fans of one of the most notable team rivalries in recent memory: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Having been friends since their karting days, their relationship deteriorated through their time together as teammates, culminating in several tense on-track collisions.
Their fierce rivalry became so severe that mechanics from each side of the garage became wary of sharing information, and Mercedes had to intervene by swapping mechanics between the two racers before the 2016 season. Hamilton and Rosberg won 54 of 78 races across four seasons with Hamilton winning the F1 world driver’s title in 2014 and 2015, ahead of Nico Rosberg, while Rosberg won the 2016 title before promptly retiring from the sport.
Life in the Fast Lane
Thanks to the unprecedented access Kosinski and crew had, the movie actually sees the APX GP team embedding themselves in actual race weekends throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons. This showcases that life in F1 goes beyond the track. In the movie, we see Sonny and Joshua diligently training on their own time between races and spending time in the simulator back at the team’s base. Joshua’s manager constantly emphasizes the importance of building his online presence and engaging his fans on social media.
These are glimpses of the real-life demands placed on F1 drivers as they strive to balance their lives between activities to maintain relationships with sponsors and training for the next race weekend, all while having thorough discussions with race engineers to further develop the car to their liking.
When it comes to social media interactions, one of the most popular examples is the “Grill the Grid” show by F1, where drivers are quizzed on their knowledge of the sport, often with humorous and challenging questions (or a yearly “Secret Santa” between the drivers on the grid). Teams have run their own individual content as well — Red Bull, for example, usually involves their drivers taking part in stunts and promotional showcases.
Politics and Machinations
A large part of what makes the real sport of F1 so interesting are the storylines that go beyond the track. The movieattempts to weave in some real political drama from the sport to the best of its abilities.
First up is the pressure of managing stakeholders and sponsors. The logic is simple: You can’t make money with an F1 team that’s not winning, which is precisely why the board in the movie are threatening to pull the plug and sell the team if APX GP doesn’t win a race.
Disastrous relationships between owners and their underachieving F1 teams are very much a part of the fabric of the sport, as was nearly the case for the Williams team when the namesake Williams family — who owned and managed the team for decades — had to eventually sell their long-running, underperforming team to Dorilton Capital, an American investment firm in 2020.
Another moment in the film sees the APX GP team being accused of manufacturing their new upgrades with external assistance. It prompts the F1 authorities to investigate the legality of the manufacturing of these parts despite the designs having been previously approved.
True to life, there have been instances where teams were investigated and punished for using external assistance to gain a competitive edge. In 2007, the McLaren F1 team had been found guilty of possessing and utilizing stolen Ferrari technical data (provided by a disgruntled ex-Ferrari employee) and were excluded from the World Constructors’ Championship and fined US$100 million (the largest sporting penalty in history).
Did F1 Reach the Top Step?
As a summer blockbuster, F1 absolutely delivers — the racing is great, the cast is electric, and it makes for a wildly entertaining watch that guarantees the bang for your buck when watching it on the big screen (preferably on IMAX to truly appreciate the technical brilliance of the filmmaking).
Here’s hoping as the chequered flag waves that this isn’t the end of the road. God knows we would gladly strap in for a sequel.
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