The uncomfortable truth about the F1 movie

F1 Movie

The uncomfortable truth about the F1 movie

Why the F1 movie is more off-putting than attractive

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 25 June 2025 20:12

The F1 Movie is finally out! Hurrah! However, I’m not celebrating for the reasons you think I am.

You see, I haven’t been crossing off the days until I can plonk myself in a cinema seat and watch Brad Pitt swagger through the paddock for two hours and 36 minutes.

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Instead, June 25 marks the beginning of the end. The day I can finally open Instagram free from the assault of F1 Movie content. It means I can settle down for the race weekend in Austria, and actually just enjoy the racing instead of worrying if Jerry Bruckheimer is going to materialise.

We’re all different and I’m certainly not the target demographic for the blockbuster. There’s also nothing wrong with watching the film and enjoying it, different themes attract different people. Nevertheless, I feel the need to justify why the F1 Movie is so off-putting and why it could deter more people than it could attract.

Buckle up guys. You’re in for a ride of cynicism.

The off-putting reality of the F1 Movie

The reviews for the F1 Movie are already tumbling in and it builds a picture of a film that does not compel me to spend money on to go and watch.

Most reviews appear unified in praise for the filmmaking and the high-speed racing sequences, and there is no denying visually it is a spectacular piece of movie-making. However, the actual plot of the film and the characterisation has been widely criticised.

The BBC writes that: “F1 is simply a competently assembled collection of underdog sports-drama clichés. It never convinces you that its protagonists are human beings, and never persuades you that Ruben's (Javier Bardem) team are more worthy of support than their competitors.”

Elsewhere, the representation of women has failed to resonate with female audiences, after it was revealed the movie’s leading female character Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) also doubles as Brad Pitt’s love interest.

Even her extensive experience as F1’s first female technical director is disregarded as soon as Sonny Hayes (Pitt) swaggers in, and instantly holds the answers to design a race winning car for APXGP.

Not only is this unrealistic, but also a boring trope that cinema should have progressed past the need to rely on in 2025. Only one man can push the magic button and save the day! Come on writers, we can come up with something more inventive than that.

Brad Pitt stars in the F1 Movie as Sonny Hayes

As Emily Selleck writes for Motorsport.com about Condon’s character: “It gets worse. She’s also the love interest. Despite warning Hayes that she never gets involved with drivers, she swiftly finds herself in his hotel room the night before a race.

“Spoiler alert: they don’t even end up together (his decision, not hers), which begs the question: why write a woman into a groundbreaking position of power only to make her inept?”

The Independent lands perhaps the most brutal review of them all, titling their write-up of the film: “The Brad Pitt vanity project F1 is just a bad version of Top Gun: Maverick.”

This headline nails my thoughts about the F1 Movie perfectly. The filmmakers and F1 have tried to sell the movie as a tool to attract new fans to the sport, but really the whole project reeks of vanity for both parties.

Hayes’ character is just Brad Pitt's own fanfiction about becoming a F1 driver. Meanwhile, the sport is less concerned with the storytelling of the film and only about making F1 look shinier than ever before.

The vapidity of the F1 Movie is only matched by my disdain for its ceaseless marketing. Fake podium celebrations. APXGP merchandise. The 20th reminder that David Croft’s commentary will feature. It was even impossible to focus on the action at the Canadian Grand Prix without being distracted by the F1 Movie trailer on an endless loop!

It's not just me that’s getting annoyed, with Apple users taking to social media to complain about the Apple Wallet push notification selling the F1 Movie! You know it's bad when everyday essentials become a mouthpiece for marketing. What’s next? A free NHS prescription if you give the F1 Movie a five star review?

It's a constant barrage of noise, and shouting at me to watch the film is going to deter me even further away from the product.

The F1 Movie filmed on the podium in Abu Dhabi

The F1 Movie isn’t a piece of cinema meant to make us feel, laugh, cry, or any other meaningful emotion. It's not even good-old-fashioned escapism like the James Bond or Marvel franchises. It's meant to sell the sport and it's meant to make money. And the final product suffers because that is the core of the project. Not a warts-and-all love letter to the sport.

And the worst thing about it all? Lewis Hamilton’s involvement promised to reign in Hollywood, to ensure inclusivity and three-dimensional characters but instead it is hard to see where the champion has had any influence.

That is the uncomfortable truth about the F1 Movie. Its commitment to selling the sport as a product has even rendered Lewis Hamilton silent on its biggest issues.

Okay...and breathe. Rant over. Agree or disagree, the F1 Movie has exposed the worst of F1. Female representation and annoying adverts aside, the movie just doesn’t look fun, just grey and corporate! At the very least it should provide a bit of joy for cinema-goers, in the same way that Drive to Survive (love it or hate it) is an exciting viewer experience.

Right then! That’s enough screen time for me. I’m off to go and touch some grass.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

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