When Hollywood star Brad Pitt first walked into the paddock with a film crew and Lewis Hamilton backing him as a producer, all in the world felt right. As fans, we expected a film that delivered a striking racing experience with mainstream attention and accuracy. But were we satisfied? Well, mildly. I wanted to love it, I mean, the man practised in real F2 cars and even filmed on the actual Grand Prix, but it didn’t blend as well as we wanted to. So here are five brutally honest thoughts I had watching F1, from a fan who’s spent too many Sundays yelling at her screen.
1. Car Flying In Monza. What Was That?
We have to talk about the Monza crash that nearly killed Joshua Pearce, but did Max Verstappen hit him that hard? Well, we know Max can be aggressive (Lol), but that was extravagant for the car to catch fire under those circumstances. Most crashes today are freaky because they’re eerily quiet and sudden, not because they explode like they’ve been choreographed by Michael Bay. It wasn’t even caught by a catch fence!
2. Brad Pitt’s Mansplanning
We know you’re the star, but smirking into the screen as a ‘cocky, ageing’ racing driver trope didn’t sit well with me. A 50-something ex-driver returns to the grid and immediately goes head-to-head with the current best drivers in the world? Okay sure. His sleeping with Kerry Kondon was the last straw for me.
3. Sonny Hayes’ Blocking Strategy
The whole strategy of blocking and breaking the cars by Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was so unrealistic! There were no penalties given, no penalty points, while in real life, this could’ve amounted to 8 penalties in just one race. It’s wild how people who enjoy the film think Max Verstappen is a rash driver. None of this would ever compare to what Sonny pulled.
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4. The Female Crew
Kerry Kodon, being the badass female engineer who builds cars for a living, was only competitive when Sonny asked her to build a ‘combat’ car? Okay. The second female character is the mechanic who was a total fool until our hero gave her the confidence. Sure. While Joshua Pearce’s mother wasn’t as unopinionated, but was there only to support him. None of them had any interaction, which was just sad.
5. The Finale Podium Scene
In the most predictable ending, Sonny Hayes finally gets the podium, but in a heartfelt Hollywood moment, refuses to take the trophy? He instead gives it to the team owner. Sweet. But that’s not how it works at all. In reality, both the driver and the team representative receive their own trophies on the podium. That’s literally why there are two different trophies handed out: one for the driver, one for the team.
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