F1 races to the movies and its worth the ride

Having hit new heights with Netflix, F1 shifted up a gear and raced into the movies with a piece of cinema that has the potential to grow the sport even further.

Today, the new F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton, has hit Australian cinemas nationwide, where race and entertainment fans will get a new, dramatic and unique take on the pinnacle of motorsport.

Since the Liberty Media takeover in 2017 and the arrival of the access-all-areas Netflix show Drive to Survive two years later, the popularity of Formula 1 has soared from half-empty Austrian Grands Prix to sold-out races and unprecedented audiences.

The next phase of this modern phenomenon is arguably the boldest yet, a dramatised movie filmed from inside the F1 world.

Auto Action was lucky enough to have the privilege of witnessing the advanced premier screening at the Melbourne Casino IMAX alongside Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Travis Auld, plus many other guests such as Mason Cox and Nicole Piastri.

WARNING THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS BELOW

With the star power of Pitt, and unbelievable in-car camera angles, the movie has the potential to take F1 even further to the masses and attract new fans through a wild Hollywood lens of Grand Prix racing.

Whilst there have been previous motorsport movies made in a similar style, especially around NASCAR, no picture has ever come so close to F1.

Not only has it been made with F1’s blessing and trademarks, numerous scenes were filmed during the pressure-packed race weekends.

As a whole, the F1 paddock warmly embraces the movie, and this is one of the key factors that set it apart.

For motorsport enthusiasts, whilst there will be many elements that will grind your gears, seeing memorable cameos from F1 personalities such as Toto Wolff, Guenther Steiner and Max Verstappen, make it worth a watch on its own.

There is even an unexpected early treat for Australian fans, with the voice of our own Leigh Diffey playing a significant part in the opening scenes.

Diffey is there because Pitt’s main character, Sonny Hayes, is introduced at the IMSA Daytona 24 of all places.

Formula 2 cars were used as the APX GP cars in the movie. Pictured here at Monza. Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images

Hayes, a washed-up driver who lost his way after a near-fatal crash – that mirrors Martin Donnelly’s horrific 1990 Spanish Grand Prix accident – appears to be driving a lonely road from race to race until his whole world suddenly turns upside down.

From the depths of Daytona and a laundromat, Hayes gets a F1 drive from nowhere, and the movie follows how he handles the challenge of returning to the pinnacle of motorsport after three decades in the wilderness with a backmarker team fighting for survival.

The rise of Hayes and the APX GP team is inspiring enough to capture the average movie fan, and hopefully

Despite some obvious and glaring dramatisation of racing, it also does a pretty good job at hooking in the die-hard race fan.

The plot may not make it one of the greatest movies of all time, but it will be the racing action scenes that stand out.

The way the directors use a whole new creative suite of onboard cameras to make viewers feel they are in the cockpit when the lights go out is nothing short of breathtaking.

The artistry of how the racing scenes are shot is something to behold, and might even be just enough to overshadow some of the Hollywood-style takes of racing.

These range from the bizarre such as building a car “for combat” to the risky like deliberately driving into rivals or creating Safety Cars and even the unbelievable led by Hayes telling his teammate how to pass Max Verstappen by split-second glimpses of a TV whilst racing at 300-plus km/h or talking to crew members through his helmet during a pit stop.

Given Hamilton produced the film, eagle-eyed fans may also get a laugh at how numerous key racing moments of the movie appear to replicate flashpoints from the seven-time champion’s career.

At one point, Hayes performs his own take of the Fernando Alonso pit box delay, this time refusing to leave until he gets the tyres he wants instead of denying his teammate the chance to enjoy an extra qualifying lap.

Brad Pitt filming the F1 movie on the grid during the 2023 British GP at Silverstone. Photo by Mark Sutton / Sutton Images

There are even shades of Singapore 2008, deliberately crashing to create interruptions to the benefit of his teammate.

But most humorously, the climax of the movie follows a near identical sequence of events to that infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi finale.

Aside from the artificial racing scenes, possibly the biggest letdown is the film’s portrayal of its key female characters.

The intent is in the right place, with APX GP’s Kate McKenna becoming the first female F1 technical director.

However, this is let down as she throws away her entire car concept, which is mocked for being so bad and gives in to a driver who had no F1 exposure for generations, let alone an understanding of the modern regulations.

And of course, they had to fall in love as well, whilst there is also a pit crew member who is initially portrayed as useless.

Despite these factors, F1: The Movie is still an unforgettable and enjoyable ride that takes cinema closer to sport than arguably any previous flick has done before.

If you are a lifelong F1 fan or have never seen a lap, it is worth a watch.

If my words are not enough, take the advice of Collingwood AFL star and F1 fan Mason Cox.

“It was awesome and had such a great storyline,” he said at the F1: The Movie premiere.

“It is really cool to see sport and cinema intertwine and it hasn’t been done like that before.

“With Drive to Survive it picks up from that, and it will be interesting.

“I have been to every single Melbourne Grand Prix since i moved here and am fortunate to have some great contacts in the F1 industry, so I love watching the races.”

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