F1 The Movie

🎬 Basics

• Title: F1 (marketed as F1: The Movie)
• Director: Joseph Kosinski (known for Top Gun: Maverick) IMP Awards+15Wikipedia+15IMDb+15
• Screenplay: Ehren Kruger, story by Kosinski & Kruger Wikipedia+1The Washington Post+1
• Runtime: 156 minutes Wikipedia
• Rating: PG‑13 for strong language and action IMP Awards+15Apple TV+15IMDb+15

👥 Cast & Characters

• Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a former F1 phenom returning from a 30-year retirement Cinemablend+11Wikipedia+11Fandango+11
• Damson Idris plays rookie Joshua Pearce, mentored by Hayes CineMaterial+13Wikipedia+13Decider+13
• Javier Bardem portrays Ruben Cervantes, Hayes’s ex‑teammate and team principal IMDb+6Wikipedia+6Fandango+6
• Supporting cast includes Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, Sara Niles NBC Palm Springs+7Wikipedia+7Decider+7

🎥 Plot Summary

Sonny Hayes, once touted as “the greatest that never was,” suffered a career‐stalling crash in the ’90s. Now, he joins APXGP—an underdog F1 team—to guide and race alongside hotshot Joshua Pearce, confronting old demons in their pursuit of redemption The Washington Post+9Rotten Tomatoes+9Tom’s Guide+9.

🎬 Production Highlights

• Budget: Estimated at $200–300 million Wikipedia
• Filming occurred during live F1 events (2023–2024), with real teams, cars, tracks, and drivers (including cameo by Lewis Hamilton as producer)
• Cinematography & VFX: Claudio Miranda’s immersive visuals, with Framestore re-skinning real F1 footage to feature the fictional black‑and‑gold APXGP car Fandango+2Wikipedia+2The Washington Post+2

🏁 Behind The Scenes

• Brad Pitt drove actual F1 machinery; during one shot at Las Vegas GP his comms failed, forcing him to rely purely on rehearsal and instinct Letterboxd+15Cinemablend+15Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website+15
• Pitt attributes his character’s backstory to inspiration from real-life driver Martin Donnelly, who nearly died during practice at the 1990 Jerez GP Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website

🎶 Music & Soundtrack

• Score by Hans Zimmer, with a high-energy soundtrack curated by Atlantic & Apple Wikipedia+1Wikipedia+1
• Featured artists include Ed Sheeran (“Drive”), Tate McRae, Rosé of BLACKPINK, Doja Cat, Tiësto, Chris Stapleton, and more Wikipedia+4Wikipedia+4es.wikipedia.org+4

🎉 Release & Reception

• Premiere: First shown at Radio City Music Hall, NYC (June 16), with London premiere June 23 RaceFans+4Wikipedia+4sportsbusinessjournal.com+4
• Theatrical release: June 27, 2025 (IMAX on June 25 internationally) Wikipedia
• Box office: Grossed ~$395 million worldwide on a $200–300 million budget—Apple’s first major theatrical hit Decider+2Wikipedia+2The Times of India+2

✅ Critical & Fan Responses

• Generally praised for spectacular, authentic racing visuals—even critics who found the plot predictable couldn’t deny its adrenaline rush The Washington Post+1RaceFans+1
• RaceFans polled fans: ~66% enjoyed it to some degree, though ~14% were underwhelmed

🍿 Availability

• Kinorelease: Ongoing in theaters
• Streaming: Apple TV+ plans an exclusive debut around 85 days post‑theater release (likely ~Sept 20, 2025), though official date is pending youtube.com+10Tom’s Guide+10The Times of India+10

🔮 Future Outlook

• Early reports indicate Apple is considering a sequel, leveraging the film’s commercial success The Times of India+2Wikipedia+2Reuters+2

Overall, F1: The Movie delivers high-octane, pulse-pounding racing drama starring Brad Pitt, grounded by real-world F1 immersion and a powerhouse soundtrack. It’s a major win for Apple in theater and marks a promising new franchise.