As a self-proclaimed ‘true fan’ of Formula 1, fandom conduct dictates that I must look down on Drive To Survive-induced followers and shun any auxiliary content related to the sport that tries to find the same kind of popularity in the pop culture space. However, when the statistical G.O.A.T. of Formula 1 (Lewis Hamilton) co-produces a movie about the sport, which is directed by the man behind Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski) and not only features talent powerhouses like Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, but also has them racing alongside the full grid of the 2024 season, I wasn’t not going to watch it.  

One of Apple Original Films’ biggest theatrical pushes yet, the F1 Movie is unique for many reasons. Firstly, drivable F2-based cars were built by Mercedes and modified with camera rigs to resemble F1 vehicles and the film features footage that was actually filmed at Grand Prix weekends last year like Silverstone, Spa and Hungary. However, that’s not even the impressive part. What makes this movie so engaging is the fact that the best tech has been used to shoot this movie—from Sony Venice 2 6K cameras in custom mounts to high-speed FPV drones and gyro-stabilised rigs. Moreover, the film is shot in the IMAX format for heightened visual intensity. 

So, when Apple invited us for an exclusive early screening of the movie, before it hits the theatres in India on June 27, I knew I couldn’t miss this one—if not for the plot, just for my love for F1 and Sir Lewis. Having already achieved a score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, my expectations were high. But if Reddit and X are to be believed, this movie isn’t made for die-hard fans. So, if you’re here to see if you should watch the movie or not, here’s 32 unhinged and unfiltered thoughts I had while watching the F1 Movie. There may be some spoilers below, you’ve been warned. 

32 Thoughts I Had While Watching The F1 Movie As A Fan Of The Sport: 

1. Do I need to start watching Daytona 24H? It seems exciting as hell! 

2. Of course, the cars Javier Bardem and Damson Idris are driving off the track are sexy as hell, especially that black and gold Mercedes-AMG GT 63 APXGP Edition. 

3. Is it just me or does this feel like its going to be the real story about Williams pre-Carlos Sainz? Is Brad Pitt going to be Mr Smooth Operator and a silent strategy master?

4. The Apex Team paddock looks exactly like Mercedes, the Tommy Hilfiger partnership sure adds to the similarities! The fact that they created an actual garage in the very real paddock lane during an ongoing race week is crazy!!

5. Why is this girl so nervous around Damson? Is this really what its like inside the garage? Do team members also look at the driver as a celebrity and not a teammate?? 

6. "World champion with Ferrari… As a rear jackman!" Sometimes I forget that the last time Ferrari won the World Championship was the same year Sebastian Vettel had his full debut season in F1. 

7. Is it just me or does the technical director give major Susie Wolff vibes while looking eerily similar to Geri Horner? 

8. Of course, the story starts at Silverstone—Lewis’ homeground and thus unlimited access. Its also really interesting to see the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart as the Apex Team Office—paints a picture of how much support the seven-time world champion’s former team has supported the film. 

9. The first of our genuine F1 sightings comes in the form of Will Buxton – who’s IMDb page seems to just keep growing! 

10. Driver rivalry in the same team is of course a plot point, if you’re familiar with the Silver Arrows glory days. 

11.  I love how a lot of the elements are inspired by real-life F1 things—for example, Brad Pitt’s behaviour in a press conference and his ‘no media’ policy is so reminiscent of Max Verstappen.

12. HOLD THE PRESSES! WE HAVE A ROSCOE SIGHTING! 

13. Of course, they had to shade Drive To Survive, but Tobias Menzies is exactly the kind of character that you’d find in the Paddock Club very often—doesn’t deserve to have the best seat on track but has pulled the right strings to be there.

14. Finally, we get a glimpse of the real F1 drivers and tell me why we haven’t been watching them on IMAX screens the whole time? And boy, do I miss seeing Hamilton in the Mercedes black and Sainz in the Ferrari red. 

15. Pretty sure this nifty trick that Sonny pulled to get Apex points would have the FIA all over APEX’s business and incur some kind of penalties. 

16. Why they got to do the only girl in the pit stop crew dirty like that?

17.  Thank god none of the rookies on the current grid are as arrogant and foolish as Joshua Pierce. Imagine posing like that after crashing out early? The F1 pundits would tear you apart! 

18. So you’re telling me, Sonny is going to crash his car multiple times and bog down the already financially-distraught team with the cost of fixing his very expensive car, and the FIA isn’t going to inspect any of his deliberate crashes, even though you’ve caused a safety car situation several times in the same session… just so an arrogant rookie can walk away with single digit points? Hmmm…. The plot (armour) thickens. 

19. What I do particularly enjoy about this movie is that it has put never-seen-parts of the sports on celluloid. For example, an F1 car with absolutely no livery, how R&D and testing works, what an actual state-of-the-art simulator looks like—got to appreciate the insane tech that goes behind making an F1 car faster. 

20. Okay things are picking up now, they seem to have made progress with the upgrade and have a chance at winning. But a la Sainz, Brad is strategizing from the car. He wants soft tires, the team wants him to run on hards. And he just sabotages his own race till he gets his way—wonder if this is how it will go down when Charles Leclerc eventually snaps, tired of Ferrari’s bad strategy calls. 

21. Gunther, Alonso, Fred, Zac – they need to be paid actors. Loving these cheeky cameos! 

22. Holding up the pack to protect your teammate’s lead… hmm… seems familiar, no? 

23. Okay, so Sonny, in what we assume is driving a Haas or Williams, is holding up Max Verstappen in a Red Bull that won him the driver’s championship last year? Come on now. Yes, he’s good, and yes, you deserved that middle finger, Hayes. 

24. Wait a second, can Joshua actually win this thing? My heart is pounding, just like it does during real nail-biting races. And DAMN. THAT CRASH WAS SCARY. Its like two of the worst accidents in F1 wrapped up in one—Zhou Guanyu crash into the nets in Silverstone in 2023 and Romain Grosjean’s infamous inferno crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP. The entire theatre is quite. The intensity is as much as what it was really like during those 2-3 minutes it took to pull him out of that car and find out he escaped with third degree burns on his hands. 

25. Gotta say—the sound track and the background score is so on point! Not to mention the way its been shot will make you forget that you’re actually watching a movie and not watching an actual race. 

26. That F*CK YOU to the FIA felt personal!! 

27. I have to admit—its sucks that they forced in the romance angle for the driver and the technical director. Not only does this movie terribly fail the Bechdel test, but its just icky to watch because of the amount of red flags it raises for their professional relationship. 

28. I KNEW IT! I KNEW MOBIUS WOULD BE SNEAKY! Never trust a Drive To Survive fan!! 

29. This movie goes to prove two things: 1. drivers need to focus on their craft and not be pulled into a million directions for publicity. 2. You never know the real plot in F1. What goes on behind the scenes, unfortunately we shall never know. 

30. I understand a driver’s “drive or die” mentality. But you’d think, such major health complications would be picked up in the mandated medical check before he stepped into a F1 car, no? 

31. Beating Lewis for the lead at the final race of the season and that too in Abu Dhabi? Why must the fans go through this painful moment once again!! Come on, this is fiction! And its your film, Lewis! Get that 8th Championship title, even just for the movie… 

32. The last 20 mins of this movie are exhilarating. I’m at the edge of my seat, I’m rooting for Lewis to be beat. I’m sweating. I can’t believe what has just happened. And that Toto cameo was a cherry on this lovely albeit slightly-unrealistic sundae. 

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, no matter how unrealistic it is. Its incredibly well shot, it will give you goosebumps on several occasions. The F1 references and cameos will make you smile from ear-to-ear. But did I expect so many plot holes in a movie basically produced with the help of the very best in F1—no, and that’s a bit sad, given the level of high-octane drama that the sport naturally has in IRL. Nevertheless, I’m going to watch it again because I think F1 and IMAX is a match made in heaven.