Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 156 mins

F1 is the hotly anticipated Apple TV-fronted mega-budget film about the race circuit, with Lewis Hamilton credited as a producer who prances onto screen at one point, alongside other big racing names. The film’s directed by Joseph Kosinski, who has plenty of experience with big-budget fare and is riding on a high after Top Gun: Maverick (and the little seen but excellent Spiderhead). The story is very simple – an aging American racing driver and former Formula One prodigy, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is approached by his former Lotus teammate Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem), who offers him a test drive to fill their spare seat on the APXGP F1 Team he now owns. The team have been performing badly and Cervantes reveals the investors will sell it unless they win one of the remaining Grand Prix races that year. If you’ve watched a racing sports drama before, it doesn’t take a genius to work out the story beats the film is likely to take you through.

Although F1‘s story feels like it was written on the back of a cigarette packet, it’s Joseph Kosinski’s kinetic direction that ultimately makes the film work, along with some committed performances. There’s nothing here to rival the dogfight at Top Gun: Maverick‘s climax, but the race sequences here are vividly shot by Kosinski’s regular cinematographer Claudio Miranda and exciting to watch unfold. It’s testament to the quality of the direction that I was never bored (despite the paper-thin story) during the lengthy 156 minute run time. And although it’s far from his best work, Hans Zimmer’s score has its moments.

Brad Pitt is effortless as the has-been racer, who has made a bit of a mess of his life with a gambling addiction and three marriage breakdowns, as he grapples with the changing landscape of the Formula One scene. The chemistry he shares with Damson Idris’s hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce, is excellent and develops at a fine pace. After being nominated for her brilliant performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, Kerry Condon also stands out as the race team’s female technical director and is given a strong story arc. Then, there’s Javier Bardem who always elevates anything he’s in and Killing Eve‘s Kim Bosnia is also having fun as the team’s principal.

Although I’d have liked F1 even more if it had some meat to the bone, what Kosinski’s made is perfectly entertaining, if rather shallow. His energetic direction and exciting race sequences make this a perfectly passable way to spend two-and-a-half hours, and Brad Pitt’s slightly cocky but empathetic racer is sure to put a smile on your face.