An experienced driver with an attitude takes a rookie under their wing, and together they take on the racing world. No this isn’t about 2001’s “Driven” with Sylvester Stallone. Nor is it “Cars 3” with Lightning McQueen.
It’s “F1,” the latest vehicle to star Brad Pitt in the lead role. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who helmed 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” “F1” centers on racer-for-hire Sonny Hayes. In his youth, an accident ruined Haye’s F1 career, forcing him to into a life of gambling and trying to find an outlet in racing elsewhere.
His nomadic life of finding tracks that will let him race comes to an end, though, when an old friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), approaches him about driving in F1 for his team. As part of the deal, Ruben also wants Hayes to train a promising young driver, Joshua (Damson Idris).
As previously mentioned in the lede, “F1” has a very familiar formula, and it’s not just limited to racing movies, either. The concept of an experienced but grizzled veteran having to team with a brash up-and-comer is a common narrative, and it plays out in a fairly standard way here.
Everything from the effort to establish teamwork, to the stressed coaches and even the central romance, are all fairly generic in. That’s not to say what unfolds on screen is necessarily bad. Plenty of sports classics employ well-known tropes to success. The thing with “F1” is it just isn’t elevated to a higher level.
One area that was lacking is in the writing by Ehren Kruger, who’s had an up and down career. He penned 2002’s “The Ring” and co-wrote the “Top Gun sequel, but he was also the writer for a trio of Michael Bay’s poor “Transformers” sequels, as well as the rough adaptations of “Ghost in the Shell” and “Dumbo” from the 2010s.
His latest work lands somewhere in the middle. The writing, which Kosinski assisted on, is serviceable, but there are also plenty of moments that feel overly convenient or just lifeless. That’s especially true with the central romance, which felt added just to meet a love interest quota.
Fortunately, the movie does feature some talent in front of the camera to make several scenes compelling. Having two Academy Award winners in Pitt and Bardem, as well as an Oscar nominee in Kerry Condon, an Emmy nominee in Sarah Niles and a BAFTA TV nominee with Kim Bodnia certainly make for well-rounded cast.
Pitt does seem to be somewhat channeling his vibe as Cliff Booth in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” but he works out for the most part. There’s a duality to his character, as he’s both willing to take risks and be creative to win, but also has regrets and fears over his own past and the future career of Joshua.
Speaking of, Idris, whose acting career goes back less than a decade, is pretty good here as well. He captures how the character is competitive and focused with a belief that he has what it takes, without being too arrogant.
Most importantly, the film has some entertainment value when it comes to what happens on the track. As was shown in “Maverick,” Kosinski has an eye for spectacle, and can deliver the goods.
He and his crew do a superb job in capturing the sights, and definitely the sounds, of a Formula 1 race. Even for those who aren’t quite entertained by motorsports can get thrills out of the scenes where cars are zooming.
Conceptually, “F1” is a fairly middling movie, but it gets a turbo boost from its talented cast and entertaining moments of speed. It doesn’t necessarily need to be over two and a half hours, but there’s enough exciting material to get it over the finish line. 3.25 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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