Formula Journal

F1: The Movie was released on 25th June, staring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. The film follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) a driver who retired decades ago after being involved in a horrific crash. After being persuaded by his friend to return to the sport, he quickly remembers the love he has for F1. It’s set to be the most realistic movie on Formula 1 using effects to give viewers the closest experience of driving an F1 car. So keep reading to see my review.

Pros:

They achieved at what they set out to do. It was incredibly realistic and I really did feel as if I was behind the wheel. Also it amazes me that both Pitt and Idris learnt how to drive an F1 car, the amount of dedication and strength is insane. Viewers say that it was “enjoyable” and “captivating” I agree as the last scene on the track kept me on the edge of my seat. Additionally, it was humorous and fun to watch. You don’t have to be an F1 fan to be a fan of this movie, as the basic facts are easily explained throughout. Honourable mentions to the credits at the end where Lewis Hamilton’s dog, Roscoe, was credited.

Cons:

I was very disappointed that there were only TWO women in the team! The first was a pit crew member and she was the only one to make a mistake and the other was a strategist (loosely based on Bernie Collins) who ended up having a relationship with a driver. It’s infuriating as we thought F1 was becoming more inclusive with 40% viewers being female and many members of the teams are women for example; Laura Muller (race engineer), Bernie Collins (strategist) Hannah Schmitz (principle strategy engineer) to name a few. Finally, the movie wasn’t 100% accurate but we didn’t expect it to be. The movie reminded me of the documentary Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story, which follows a team in 2009 who had major financial difficulties however what they thought was impossible, happened.

What did you think?

Image: Warner Bros