Is F1: The Movie any good?
Hollywood applied a tried-and-true recipe to Formula 1 that might not translate well for fans of the sport.
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Formula 1 fans have so much access to the sport that a fictional production can’t match the real highs of racing.
The real thing feels far less predictable than Hollywood’s drive to milk corporate sponsors and cash in on F1’s popularity.
All the parts were in place to make F1: The Movie unforgettable.
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There were superstar actors in Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, ably supported by Kerry Condon and Damson Idris.
A blockbuster director in Joseph Kosinski, fresh from the success of Top Gun: Maverick.
Guidance from racing legend Lewis Hamilton and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali to make sure it didn’t run off course.
And unprecedented access to the drivers, cars, circuits and trackside action that make Formula 1 the pinnacle of motorsport.
The last bit is where F1 fans might feel short-changed.
F1 used to be elusive and exclusive.
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Former boss Bernie Ecclestone was a magician who wowed onlookers without revealing his tricks, putting on a show while keeping the audience at a distance.
But the sport has thrown open its doors to live broadcasts, social media, Netflix, podcasts and more that take us deep into the world of Grand Prix racing.
We’ve gone from a couple of hours of racing every other week to an unprecedented level of access to racing’s cast and crew.
Racing fans can consume countless hours of content each week.
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That’s where F1: The Movie differs from Top Gun: Maverick. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding fighter pilots, their jets and missions.
Top Gun pulls viewers into a world off-limits to civilians.
But F1 offers a fictionalised spin on a world its fans are intimately familiar with.
Racing fans are spoiled. It’s everywhere you look.
And its real stories are better than what Hollywood scripted.
F1: The Movie is about a struggling team owner (Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem) who turns to a retired racing star of the 1990s (Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt) in a desperate ploy to win a race.
There’s friction from young teammate Joshua (played by Damson Idris) and team technical director Kate (played by Kerry Condon), before everyone works together to get their trophy.
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It’s a poor substitute for the real drama of F1.
Fans will never forget the career-defining battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, culminating in the controversy of Abu Dhabi’s season finale in 2021.
Look at that pair. There’s rich material in Verstappen’s well-documented struggle with an abusive father, or the way Hamilton’s raw talent drove him through adversity.
There’s Michael Schumacher’s tragic skiing accident and his son Mick’s ultimately futile drive to follow his path.
Or Jack Doohan striving for F1 for his entire life only to be thrown on the scrap heap after half a dozen races.
Robert Kubica last week completed a fairytale story by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans – arguably the world’s biggest race – in a Ferrari, years after a near-fatal rally crash prevented him from driving for Ferrari in Formula 1.
Hours later, the battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris boiled over in Canada.
Piastri, ice-cold, unflappable and inscrutable, went wheel to wheel with a Norris plagued by a lack of confidence in his clearly immense ability.
My invitation to the Australian premiere of F1: The Movie included a drive of a $400,000 Mercedes-AMG sports car that features in the film, the opportunity to wear the same $45,000 IWC watch shown on screen, and all the alcohol-free Heineken I could drink.
Which isn’t much.
The best racing movies are underpinned by real stories.
Rush (2013) faithfully tells the gripping story of James Hunt and Niki Lauda, pitched in a do-or-die battle with brutal consequences.
Ford v Ferrari (2019) has Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles beating the odds to win Le Mans, and the biographical Senna (2010) is told with more care than Kosinski managed.
I’d even argue Will Ferrell’s silly NASCAR flick Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) has more heart, humour and audience appeal than a none-too-convincing Brad Pitt trying to climb onto the podium.
Sure, the film might give F1 a further bump in popularity.
But fans won’t find much beyond what they already see on Grand Prix Sundays.
F1: The Movie reaches Australian screens on June 26.
Originally published as Is F1: The Movie any good?
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