I love a good racing movie.

Wait, maybe I should rephrase because I haven’t actually seen a lot of them. I loved Herbie: Fully Loaded and Speed Racer. Like, really loved them. So, I thought I should enjoy Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie in theory, although I wasn’t sure what to expect from “the most authentic racing movie ever made.” I don’t know anything about racing, apart from the fact that Lewis Hamilton is a big deal, and I realised that what I liked about the other movies were the things that happened off the track which made me more invested in what was happening on it. So, no lie, I kept my hopes pretty average going into this. At the very least, I’d finally see Damson Idris, whose career I’ve been following for a few years now, on the big screen.

But even though F1: The Movie definitely delivers on its promise of authenticity, filming at actual Grand Prix races and having the actors really drive the cars, the ‘off track’ moments I worried would be overlooked still came through beautifully in the film.

After getting injured at a Grand Prix race in his youth, once-hopeful racing champion, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) spends his time racing in smaller competitions and gambling. His old teammate and owner of the losing APXGP F1 team, Reuben
(Javier Bardem), offers him a chance to race on his team, hopeful that Sonny can help him win some races and save his team from being sold to another owner. When Sonny finally agrees, he meets APX driver, Joshua Pearce (Idris), a rookie driver
with a big ego and a lot to prove, and the first female technical director, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), who is also hoping for a win to finally show everyone that she belongs here. Sonny’s unorthodox racing style shakes up the team who must all
find a way to work together to save their jobs. It’s a fun watch and a true blockbuster because who doesn’t love to root for the underdog?

I loved the contrast in the approaches Sonny and Joshua had to racing and how that comes through even in how they related to the rest of the team. While Joshua’s inexperience makes him initially impulsive, myopic, and impatient, Sonny is more calculating, risk-prone, and friendly. That is important for me to note because I’ve realised how feeling no pressure to prove anything to anyone makes you better to even just be around. Although he hasn’t won any F1 championships, Sonny trusts his abilities as a driver, and that gives him the freedom to fly.

And fly he does.

I LOVE this one scene in the film where Sonny is on an open track ahead of everyone else and everything goes quiet. He’s in the zone. The film does a good job of making you feel like you’re the one racing down the track, and seeing that (in D-Box!), I thought to myself ‘that must be what true freedom feels like’ – the kind of freedom that comes from knowing you’re good at what you do, the thrill that comes from mastering even the most complicated of things and being given the chance to show that. Honestly, the closest I’ve come to that was probably when I learned to ride a bike as a kid, and I’ve been looking for that feeling since then. Another big thing that stuck out to me with this film was just how important teamwork is in the F1 sport. The drivers are the ones who get to stand on the podium, but it really does take everyone on the team putting in their best for the driver to win. Which makes the fact that drivers on the same team also compete with each other very fascinating to me. But that’s another thing about not being secure in your abilities – it makes you chase the top position no matter the cost, and that usually ends up costing you. Joshua learns that the hard way in this film and has to learn to put the team before his own ego.

As the film says, ‘sometimes, you have to lose to win’.

Looking into F1 a little bit, I discovered that Lewis Hamilton is the only black man in the sport, so shoutout to the film for giving us Joshua Pearce and his family. I didn’t expect just how ~Black Brit~ this film was going to get and was pleasantly surprised to see the authenticity of that on the big screen as well. F1 fans will appreciate the cameos in this film and how it celebrates the sport. Non- F1 fans will love to be along for the thrilling ride. And Hans Zimmerman’s score? Chef’s kiss.

F1 is available exclusively in theatres now.