F1

Story:

F1 (marketed as F1 the Movie) is a 2025 American sports drama film that was written by Ehren Kruger and directed by Joseph Kosinski. Brad Pitt plays Formula One (F1) racer Sonny Hayes, who makes a comeback after a 30-year hiatus to prevent the demise of his former teammate’s underdog team, APXGP. In supporting parts are Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem, and Damson Idris.

In December 2021, Pitt, Kosinski, Kruger, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer—who had previously worked with the three on Top Gun: Maverick (2022)—signed on to the film’s development. Prior to the commencement of main photography at Silverstone in July 2023, supporting cast members were made public in early 2023. With the cooperation of the FIA, the F1 governing body, filming also took place during the Grand Prix weekends of the 2023 and 2024 World Championships. Throughout the racing scenes, which were based on actual races, F1 teams and drivers—including producer Lewis Hamilton—appeared. Many artists contributed to the film’s soundtrack, which was composed by Hans Zimmer.

On June 16, 2025, F1 made its debut at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. On June 27, Warner Bros. Pictures distributed the film in the US. Despite a $200–300 million budget, the movie earned $608 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing movie of 2025, the highest-grossing auto racing movie, the highest-grossing movie from Apple Studios, and the highest-grossing movie in Pitt’s career. Critics gave the movie favorable reviews.

Due to his failure to live up to his potential after a career-ending crash at the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix, Sonny Hayes, an aging American former Formula One (F1) prodigy, has been living as a racer-for-hire for the past 30 years. [c] His old teammate Rubén Cervantes, the owner of the failing APXGP F1 team, approaches him after he wins the 24 Hours of Daytona [d] and invites him to be their second driver. Rubén clarifies that his investors will sell APXGP if the team doesn’t win one of the season’s nine Grands Prix. Rubén maintains that winning will demonstrate that he is the “best in the world,” and Sonny grudgingly agrees.

Sonny meets the team at Silverstone, which includes British rookie Joshua Pearce and technical director Kate McKenna. Pearce is ambitious and cocky. Joshua is determined to draw interest from another organization since he worries that the faltering APXGP could ruin his career. Sonny finds it difficult to operate the current F1 equipment, but he soon recognizes APXGP’s shortcomings.

Instead of working together, Sonny and Joshua compete against one another at the British Grand Prix on his return, and both of them crash out. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sonny takes advantage of the regulations by purposefully clashing with competitors to initiate safety car periods, realizing the team’s necessity to clinch a points finish. Joshua is able to go closer to the leaders and get APXGP’s first top 10 result as a result.  Sonny tells Joshua to stick on slick tires during the rain-soaked Italian Grand Prix, which trades grip for speed and puts him in second place. Joshua skids off the track as his car catches fire, disregarding Sonny’s advice to wait for a straight before passing Max Verstappen.

Despite being saved by Sonny, Joshua misses the following three races as he recovers, and Sonny’s high-risk strategy is criticized by his mother and the media. At the Belgian Grand Prix, a haughtier Joshua makes a comeback and purposefully puts Sonny into an accident. Sonny then chastises him for causing the team to regress. Sonny and Kate spend the night together after Kate arranges a poker game to emphasize their shared histories in an attempt to defuse the situation. Later on, he confesses to her that he rushes to relive the infrequent times when he feels invincible.

APXGP is compelled to take down Kate’s automobile enhancements after receiving an anonymous tip that they were unlawful, which puts the team at a disadvantage. During the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a frustrated Sonny drives recklessly and crashes after realizing he has forgotten his ritual of drawing a random playing card. As he heals, Rubén fires Sonny for his own safety after learning that his 1993 injuries rendered him medically unsuitable for Formula One, posing a risk of blindness or death.

. Peter Banning, a board member of APXGP, then confesses to Sonny that he planned both his signing and the anonymous complaint in order to undermine the team and compel its sale. He also offers Sonny the position of team principle in exchange for Sonny allowing APXGP to collapse. Joshua recommits to the team over individual success, acknowledges responsibility for his previous crash, and starts using Sonny’s racing methods. Just as the FIA clears Kate and returns her improvements, Sonny convinces Rubén to allow him to return while hiding his headaches and hazy vision.

Joshua competes with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for the lead at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race is red-flagged after Sonny is involved in a minor collision, giving APXGP time to fix both vehicles before a three-lap final lap. In order to allow Joshua to go into first place on the restart, Sonny holds off Hamilton, passing Leclerc and giving up his own chance of winning. Joshua and Hamilton collide on the last lap, allowing Sonny to win his first Formula One race and guarantee the future of APXGP. Mercedes offers Joshua a seat, but Joshua turns it down. Sonny quietly gets ready to go while the squad celebrates, saying goodbye to Joshua amicably and that he will see Kate soon.