Formula 1 Racing and Brad Pitt – Need I Say More

Honestly, I am not a fan of Brad Pitt or Formula One Racing. I have only seen a few Brad Pitt Films. Additionally, I am not a fan of paying a lot of money for a movie ticket to see a movie in XD. However, I am a fan of good movies, and this movie has to be seen in IMAX or XD. While I have already given away the fact that this movie is worth watching, that doesn’t mean it is suitable for all ages. In this F1 Christian Movie Review & Parent Guide, I provide you with the information you need as Christian parents before watching this movie with your children.

F1 Christian Movie Review

From Apple Original Films and the filmmakers from Top Gun: Maverick comes the high-octane, action-packed feature film F1® The Movie, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Kosinski, seven-time FORMULA 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Chad Oman.

Studio Synopsis:

Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

F1® The Movie also stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, and Javier Bardem, and has been shot during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against the titans of the sport.

Kosinski directs from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger. The film is executive produced by Daniel Lupi. Collaborating with Kosinski behind the scenes are his creative team, including director of photography Claudio Miranda, production designers Mark Tildesley and Ben Munro, editor Stephen Mirrione, costume designer Julian Day, casting director Lucy Bevan and composer Hans Zimmer.

Apple Original Films Presents a Monolith Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer / Plan B Entertainment / Dawn Apollo Films Production, A Film by Joseph Kosinski, F1® The Movie, distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters and IMAX nationwide on June 27, 2025 and internationally beginning 25 June 2025.

My Synopsis:

Sonny Hayes is a washed-up race car driver. He travels around in a van, racing any circuit that will have him. When his former teammate Ruben Cervantes approaches him to race Formula 1 to try to save the struggling team, Sonny uses strange tactics to try to improve the team’s rankings. However, a lot has changed since he last raced F1 including using a video game to train. Some of his hardest competition is from his own teammate, rookie Joshua Pearce. In fact, it appears that being a team player has changed from the last time Sonny raced F1.

F1 Christian Movie Review – What Parents Want to Know

Language: 

This film is rated PG-13 and is full of foul language. God’s name is used in vain several times. (example: g-d d-mn). Additionally, the following words are also used the f-word (2X), “what the…” is uttered with the f word silently mouthed, d-ckhead, b-tchin’, b-stard (2x), son-of-a b-tch, s-it box (3X), a-shole (8X), s-it (9X), bulls-it (3X), s-ithead, prick, piss, up my a-s, balls, what the h-ll, and two uses of bloody h-ll.

There is also the use of unkind language such as “lose that lead and I’ll kill you,” dirtbag, and a person makes a negative comment about someone being old.

Violence:

​Sonny Hayes had been in a bad accident years ago. There are “clips” shown of that accident, and he has a huge scar on his back from surgery. There are plenty of intense scenes with cars crashing and flying off the track. Additionally, one scene has a key character trapped in a burning car and results in an injured driver.

Two men shove each other and have heated verbal exchanges.

Keep in mind that Director John Kosinski’s goal was to make the most authentic race car movie possible. This means that there are intense and very realistic shots of race car drivers inside the cars. Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are actually driving very real race cars throughout this intense film.

Spiritual Content:

 Brad Pitt’s character kneels by the side of his car before he races. However, he also is seen with playing cards, and before each race, he places a card in his pocket without looking at it. 

Someone talks about “Hail Mary,” as in a sports term, but the person says, “I believe it is a religious term.” 

Furthermore, there is talk of needing a miracle to win a race.

Other Content:

In a nightclub in Las Vegas, there are scantily clad women who are performing routines with silks suspended from the ceiling. Several times, Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are shown without shirts on.

In a text, a person uses “the finger” emoji.

A couple appears in bed together. There are a couple of passionate kisses. Furthermore, Sonny has been divorced multiple times, and Kate is also divorced.

Alcohol is present in many scenes including champagne being sprayed after winning a race. People play poker and drink in a nightclub.  

Camel cigarettes were a sponsor of one of the cars. 

A person makes the comment that, “it’s in the hands of the racing god’s.” 

Deception:

Sonny Hayes is less than truthful about his past. (He lies).

Positive Content:

This film portrays rookie teammate Joshua Pearce always chasing after likes and comments on social media. He listens to his “agent” to make sure that he is always where he will be seen and actively pursues the press. He contributes to the rampant social media consumption. However, he realizes that he doesn’t need the accolades of social media followers or the press to “be successful.” Pitt’s character tells him “media engagement and followers are all just noise.” This is a great teaching moment for all of us who use social media. The number of likes you receive is not related at all to your worth!

Joshua’s mother makes him apologize for a rude comment.

F1 Christian Movie Review – My Viewing Recommendations

Overall, this is a great storyline with great acting. Remember, I said I am not a fan of Brad Pitt, but he was so believable in this role. Additionally, I loved the character of Ruben (Javier Bardem) and Joshua’s mom (Sarah Niles). I wish she would have had more screen time. Overall, the supporting cast is excellent. Furthemore, there is talk about this film being nominated for an Academy Award for sound, visual effects, original score, and cinematography. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda is an Oscar-winner and is known for his work on Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise.

As I stated above, I am not a fan of watching racing, and therefore, I have little knowledge of the workings of Formula 1. I did not know that it is a team sport, and you are qualifying as a team, and the cars are continuously being developed and modified during the season. Watching this film, gave me a great perspective of the amount of hard work, dedication, and new technology that goes into modern race cars. These driving teams work day and night to further their craft. Furthermore, I did like that much of the on-track scenes were taken from the driver’s seat perspective. 

Should Children See this Film?

First, this movie has a good deal of foul language. Second, it is pretty intense. In fact, this is a pulse-pounding racing film. Finally, there are several scenes that are not suitable for children, including a pretty horrific crash with a car engulfed in flames while the driver is trapped inside.

In my household, we tended to err on the side of caution when it came to PG-13 movies. This means that my children were older when they first watched this type of content. Additionally, this is a long movie. I do feel they could have cut the number of pit stops and shortened the film by 20 minutes! I advised most parents to wait to have their children see this film and, most definitely, preview it beforehand.

About the Movie:

Rating: PG-13 for strong language and action

Release Date: June 27, 2025

Runtime: 2 hours, 36 minutes

Genre: Action/Sport

Studio: Apple Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment, Monolith {ictures, Dawn Apollo Films

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Written by: Ehren Kruger

Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman

Edited by: Stephen Mirrione 

Music by: Hans Zimmer

Distributed by: Apple Original Films, Warner Bros. Pictures

The Cast of F1

​Sonny Hayes played by Brad Pitt

Joshua Pearce played by Damson Idris

Kate McKenna played by Kerry Condon

Ruben Cervantes played by Javier Bardem (King Triton in the live-action The Little Mermaid and Hector P. Valenti in Lyle, Lyle Crocodile)

Peter Banning played by Tobias Menzies

Kaspar Smolinski played by Kim Bodnia

Bernadette Pearce played by Sarah Niles

Hugh Nickleby played by Will Merrick

Rico Fazio played by Joseph Balderrama

Dodge Dowda played by Abdul Salis

Josie played by Callie Cooke

Cashman played by Samson Kayo

Chip Hart played by Shea Whigham

​Luca Cortez played by Luciano Bacheta

This movie is based on the 2023 Formula One season and was filmed during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The following drivers appear in the film:

Alexander Albon, Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto, Nyck de Vries, Jack Doohan, Pierre Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Charles Leclerc, Kevin Magnussen, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, Oscar Piastri, Daniel Ricciardo, George Russell, Carlos Sainz Jr. Logan Sargeant, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where can I watch F1?

F1 was released into theaters on June 27, 2025, and can only be watched in theaters at that time. Since it is an Apple Film, I do expect it to be streaming on Apple TV and other pay per view platforms.

Is there an end credit scene for F1?

There are scenes during the end credits.

How much did it cost to produce F1?

The budget to produce F1 was $200-$300 million.

Other Race Car Movies:

Gran Turismo

Based on the true story of a video game player who wins a spot in a PlayStation competition to compete to drive a race car.

Ford V Ferrari

This is a biographical sports drama about a team of American and English engineers and designers who are hired to build a Ford race car that can beat a Ferrari. 

Cars

​Pixar films that feature an animated race car. We just rewatched the original Cars movie, and it really is a great film for kids.