A World Tour of Formula One: A Race for the Ages
On a dark and rainy evening, Michael and I ventured to the local movie theater to watch the new Jerry Bruckheimer production, F1. Distributed by Apple Films, it is a sports drama surrounding the pulse-pounding action of race car driving. It immerses the audience into the worldwide phenomenon that has been in existence for seventy-five years, trekking to Japan, Italy, Hungary, Las Vegas, and many more race locations. Starring Brad Pitt and a host of others, like Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, and Kerry Condon, it portrays a common trope of redemption after tragedy, offering an uplifting story set in this unique sport.
Diving into a personal side note, I first learned about Formula One car racing from a tech podcast, Analog(ue), hosted by Myke Hurley and Casey Liss. Race cars are a marvel of technological progress, with engineers crafting different ways to push speed to the limit. Myke and Casey would sometimes dive into the technological and interpersonal dramas of the sport. Given the duo’s enthusiasm of Apple, they were ecstatic for the release of this film, distributed by Apple Films.
The film opens to a pristine ocean crashing onto a shore mixed with dashcam footage of a racecar in the 1990’s, crafting a dichotomy that is revealed to be Sonny Hayes’ dream, played by Brad Pitt. He is awoken in his trailer van where he had been napping during a relay race at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Florida. He helped accelerate a team’s chance of success, but opted not to continue, driving onto new ventures. While dining at a restaurant, he meets Rubén Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem, who offers him a spot on his Formula One team, APXGP. Rubén exclaims that investors will opt to sell the team if they don’t win in this year’s World Constructors' Championship, slamming down a first-class ticket to the Silverstone Circuit, indicating that he can become “the best in the world”.
Sonny’s backstory is slowly revealed in the first half of the film, unraveling tragedy and the search for redemption. Trauma can affect people in different ways, and for Sonny Hayes, it left him without passion for racing. It created a laundry list of divorces and addictions that perpetuated his aimless drifting through life. When Rubén gave him the chance to rejoin an elite car racing team, it rekindled his sense of purpose. His initial relationship with a rookie driver, Joshua Pearce played by Damson Idris, led to many moments of intergenerational tension and some humorous British slang. Over the course of the film, Sonny and Joshua learn from each other in their own way.
The wisdom of Sonny’s older disposition is explored between all the characters. When Georgia Parslow, played by Callie Cooke, makes a mistake retooling a tire during a critical race pitstop, Sonny imbues some advice, “Don’t be shitty to yourself; plenty of people will do that for you.” Later on, when Joshua pulls out his phone to check the latest rumor, Sonny chides, “focus on your passion beyond the noise,” indicating the lessons he learned himself as a young driver. His advice may fall on deaf ears, but for those that truly listen, the personal history behind them is an indication of growth. Life is never straightforward, with twists, turns, and moments of regret. But the deeply human trait of perseverance and second chances allows regretful moments to fade and hope to endure.
On the eve of the Abu Dahbi Grand Prix, a feat of internal corporate espionage destroys the team’s engineering work on their car design, pushing back their momentous rise in the championship. It leads Sonny, as Rubén put it, “to drive angry”, resulting in self-sabotage and despair. Through a redemptive arc, Sonny returns to the team, with a renewed sense of peace and focus. The setback even helps propel the team to new heights in a unique twist during the final race.
The final race in Las Vegas Grand Prix is filled with, as the announcers pronounced, “a racing ballet, a race for the ages, an absolute thriller.” It reminds me of the final, emotionally cathartic race from the 2008 movie, Speed Racer, directed by the Wachowski’s of The Matrix fame. The movie is based on the 1960’s Japanese anime, and the direction and musical score are breaktaking. Scored by Michael Giacchino, the music transports viewers to a more extreme version of Formula One, with futuristic cars, epic effects, and imaginative courses. The song that is performed during Speed Racer’s final race, titled “Reboot”, is incredible, orchestrating the emotional visuals of the Racer family’s hardships, perseverance, and pulse-pounding race to the finish line. During running races, my earbuds are sometimes filled with the musical score as my mind reminisces on memories, instilling the perseverance needed to finish.
Hans Zimmer, who orchestrated the score for F1, was phenomenon as always, with a small note that his usual style of heightened tension is misplaced after the race ends. His prowess with percussion and softer melodies bridges the soundtrack of songs, featuring artists Don Toliver, Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, and Myke Towers, beautifully. His collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with some subtle, spare notes reminding me of the pirate epic.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and screen written by Ehren Kruger, the duo had been involved on the Academy Award-winning film, Top Gun Maverick back in 2022. Their ability to offer epic visuals and heartfelt dialogue, like Top Gun Maverick, translates well to a story of Formula One racing. It offers superb writing, excellent direction, astounding music, whether orchestral or otherwise, and heartfelt acting. It will certainly create the desire to watch or attend a car racing event to see the action in person; it has for me.
