If there’s one thing I love as much as motorsports, it’s movies. More specifically, my love for Top Gun: Maverick knows no bounds. So, naturally, Joseph Kosinski and Hans Zimmer teaming up again to create F1: The Movie piqued my interest.

Naturally, I was dubious at first. Watching a movie about something so real, something I’m so passionate about made me a little antsy, like how I imagine my ambulance tech friend feels watching medical dramas. Would they do the sport we all know and love justice?

I think it’s fairly safe to say that the answer is yes.

The film came with all the tools it needed to succeed. An accomplished director, a master composer, a seasoned producer - and Crofty and Brundle to boot. And it was the idea of one particular seven-time world champion to bring them on board, which was a very nice touch, and one that Crofty himself very much appreciated.

So, with Sir Lewis Hamilton himself added to the mix, I knew the racing sequences were going to be stunning, and I was right. Few people are more qualified than Hamilton himself to make sure the movie stays true to life. The on-board camera, coupled with having the actors actually drive modified F2 cars, paint the most realistic depiction possible of how it actually looks and feels to race one of these cars. Granted, the team couldn’t literally stick Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in these cars in the middle of an actual race, but to the untrained eye, you might think that they really had.

Alongside these lightweight filming rigs on the cars, complete with motorised mounts, the team behind the film also used actual footage from race weekends – I’ve heard it on good authority that some of the footage from the Belgian Grand Prix was, in fact, Pierre Gasly’s race in 2023, and though I sat there during the Spa-Francorchamps race sequence, squinting at La Source and waiting for my cameo, I never did quite spot myself.

Had I been at this fictional Belgian GP, however, I fear I may have found myself rooting for Pearce more than Hayes. 9 has been my lucky number my whole life, and is used by drivers I follow in other championships – Mitch Evans in Formula E, and also by Abbi Pulling most notably in F1 Academy and GB3 – so naturally I’d gravitate towards it, but I personally found Idris’ portrayal of Pearce a lot more endearing than the brash, self-assured Hayes, regardless of car number. I especially liked Pearce’s relationship with his mother, and his determination to win, even if in his final race he did end up in the gravel with Sir Lewis, thus leaving Hayes to take the win, save the day and get the girl, which segues perfectly through to my next point.

Now, as brilliant as so many parts of the film were, there were a few things that stood out to me for reasons less thrilling. I feel as though my biggest gripe with the film is that they didn’t manage to write a strong female protagonist without reducing her to a prize for the self-proclaimed hero of the story. Kerry Condon’s performance as Kate was wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but from what we learned about her character, the way she quickly jumped into bed with Sonny felt out-of-character for her. It’s not exactly like his mansplaining was a prime seduction technique.

Kosinski has directed strong female characters before. Take Phoenix in Top Gun: Maverick, for example. She’s badass, is as capable as any of her fellow Top Gun graduates and holds her own without having to fall head over heels for any of her fellow Naval aviators. Sure, Mav gets his happy ending with an old flame, but Phoenix flies off into the sunset solo, and you know what? That’s more than okay.

Despite this, I still very much enjoyed the film. Do I think Kate should’ve kept Sonny at arms length? Yep. Do I think Sonny getting straight back into the car after thirty-odd years was far-fetched? Absolutely. Do I think the FIA, realistically, would’ve locked Sonny in a jail cell and thrown away the key? One hundred percent yes. If Sonny was real, DTS would be having a field day with him right about now.

But, look – movies are like drivers. Some people will love them, some people will hate them and the rest? They’ll be indifferent. So keep watching what you want to watch, and don’t worry about the rest. I will, in fact, be keeping my eyes out for F1: The Movie’s physical media release.