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F1: The Movie will premiere globally on Apple TV on December 12, 2025, and after kindly being sent a screener to bring you this review, I genuinely can’t wait until it releases so I can watch it all over again. This may just be the best film of 2025.

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was the most promising phenom of the 90s until an accident nearly ended his career.

As his F1 career disappeared, he made his way through a variety of driving jobs (including being a New York taxi driver) before heading into the Le Mans 24-hour race with Porsche.

Within the same timeline, a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse consults Sonny to come and join them back in Formula 1 for a shot at saving the team. His former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) takes a chance on Sonny, who, whilst a little rugged around the edges, still has the skills to compete at the highest level. But he has competition, as his new teammate, a hot-headed Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris), has his own intentions of being the team’s hotshot rookie.

What transpires is a beautifully woven story of competitiveness, team spirit, and this will to carry on in the face of adversity, as F1: The Movie catapults you into the heart of the action. But this is one film that feels so beautifully constructed that I regret not watching it on the big screen.

The fact the production team customised an F2 car into an F1 car appearance and actually thrust it onto real-world tracks during F1 race days for filming is genius. The in-car shots, the reaction shots, and the incredible line-up of F1 tracks from around the world really take you on a tour that will leave F1 fans overjoyed at what’s on screen, but it’ll also convert people who are not fans of F1 to invest in the story.

This film has heart, and a lot of it. It’s not just a motorsport film, it’s a character drama at heart, and Brad Pitt absolutely oozes charisma and confidence within every single frame as his character has this never-say-die attitude to achieve that one last shot at a dream of winning an F1 race in his career.

Forget about your glossy racing shots and your motion-blur sweeping visuals. This is gritty, low-cam, shaky, and intense footage, making you feel as though you are right inside the cockpit with the drivers. I can only imagine this in a full Dolby theatre as you’re hearing the engine rumble, the tyres screeching on the track, as you’re front and centre of the action.

F1 fans may have an issue with the film not diving too much into the nitty-gritty of the sport, but that’s what, for me, gives it a broader appeal. I couldn’t care less about Formula 1 — I find it one of the few sports that would bore me to death in person — yet I can deal with it on the TV, as it’s far more interesting flicking through the action instead of watching a blur of cars travel past me until I wait for them to come around the track and do it all again, all for the price of a £100+ ticket. Bargain.

But F1: The Movie delivers something much more special and well-rounded, as we are dealing with the young rookie and his internal conflict having a much older driver competing against him. You have the inexperienced pit crew who are struggling to get to grips with their failing team performance, making too many mistakes during pit stops. You have the ever-incredible Javier Bardem fearing his F1 team are spiralling into destruction and putting his heart and soul into Sonny’s ability to change the team’s fortunes around.

It’s compelling stuff, and it absolutely deserves your attention.

There hasn’t been much to shout about in the cinemas in 2025, but this is certainly one of those rare gems that is way ahead of the pack.

F1: The Movie grossed over $600 million at the box office and made it Apple Original Films’ most profitable film to date, and after seeing it, I can absolutely see why it did so well.

It truly is a masterpiece.