F1: The Movieis a mostly authentic experience, but there are six major things it gets wrong about real Formula One racing. From the director and co-writer ofTop Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger, the new racingmovie stars Brad Pittas Sonny Hayes, a driver-for-hire who returns to Formula One after a 30-year absence to race for the APXGP team.
Sonny’s teammate and main rival is the hotshot rookie driver, Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The cast also includes Kerry Condon as Kate, the team’s technical director and Sonny’s love interest,Javier Bardem as Ruben, the team’s owner, Tobias Menzies as board member Peter Banning, Kim Bodnia as the team’s principal, and Sarah Niles as Joshua’s mother.
Released in theaters on June 27,F1: The Moviehas received rave reviewsfrom critics and audiences alike for Pitt’s effortless charm and Kosinski’s kinetic direction, resulting in a stylish old-school action movie that has made over $400 million and counting at the box office. From the moment whispers of a major Formula One movie began circulating,authenticity has been the buzzword.
The film was shot with real F1 teams on actual circuits, using real race cars – all in pursuit of creating what’s been touted as one of the most authenticracing moviesHollywood has ever made. However,it still takes several dramatic liberties for the sake of cinema, so here are six major things the movie gets wrong about real Formula One racing.
1APXGP Is Not A Real Formula 1 Racing Team
It’s A Fictional One Invented For The Film
APXGP is not a real Formula One racing teamand was invented purely for the film. However, Sonny did race for Lotus during the 1990s, which is a real Formula One team. Additionally,F1: The Moviefeatures several real Formula One driversand teams, such as Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time World Drivers' Champion of the UK for Mercedes.
2Sonny Hayes Being An F1 Driver
He’s Not Entirely Believable
Formula One is among the most exclusive sports in the world, withonly about 20 drivers competing at the highest level each season. Earning one of these coveted race seats is incredibly difficult. It demands not just elite driving talent but also years of success in junior categories like Formula Two and Formula Three. Even then, talent alone rarely seals the deal.
In the movie, APXGP is portrayed as a team desperate for results, which might justify taking a gamble. Team owner Ruben Cervantes claims he wants experience over youth, explaining why he chooses Sonny instead of promoting a young F2 driver. Still, the idea of any teamgiving a race seat to a retired driver in his 60s, regardless of past success, stretches belief, even for a struggling team.
Sonny’s return mid-season also feels particularly unrealistic. Modern F1 teams plan their driver lineups months in advance, often grooming drivers through junior programs. Bringing in someone decades out of the sport, without recent racing data or current-level fitness, would not be a risk most teams would take, especially not in a sport where split seconds can define careers.
Then there’s the physical side, where things really start to break down. F1 drivers train like elite athletes, with an emphasis on building neck and core strength. The G-forces experienced in a race are extreme, up to six times the force of gravity through corners. Drivers endure this stress lap after lap, anda weak neck simply couldn’t handle it.
That’s whereBrad Pitt physicallyjust isn’t believable as an F1 driver. He might look the part from a distance, but he lacks the necessary physique. Veterans like George Russell have spoken about the physical toll, even ending up in agony after early races.Not only does Pitt have minimal neck muscle, but Sonny also has a preexisting neck injury.
3Sonny Hayes Crashing Constantly
He Would’ve Been Disqualified
Sonny Hayes would’ve been disqualified after his first race, not just for the crashes, but for the reckless tone set by APXGP, including their team chant encouraging combat. F1 enforces strict driving standards, and even vague offenses like erratic driving or unusual braking can trigger penalties. F1 prioritizes precision, safety, and clean racing above all else.
F1 doesn’t tolerate intentional or reckless contact.The idea that one driver could repeatedly cause collisions, safety cars, and even a red flag without serious consequences is pure fiction. In reality, race stewards would issue time penalties, disqualifications, or even race bans. A pattern of deliberate crashing would likely result in the FIA investigating the team and possibly suspending their racing license altogether.
In 2008’s infamous Crashgate scandal, Renault’s team ordered a driver to crash intentionally to manipulate race strategy. The fallout was massive, and team officials were banned from the sport for years. The idea thatSonny could cause multiple crashesto help his teammate without similar scrutiny wildly misrepresents the reality of F1’s regulations and ethical standards.
The movie also exaggerates the crashes themselves. Real F1 crashes are dramatic enough without needing to be sensationalized. Modern F1 cars are built with incredible safety features – halo devices, impact structures, and advanced telemetry systems – all designed to prevent the kinds of multiple-car flipping wrecks seen in Hollywood-style depictions.Joshua Pearce crashingand flying over the barrier borders on the unbelievable.
While the visual spectacle works on screen, it’s far from how F1 actually functions.Today’s drivers avoid unnecessary risk, not only for safety but because they know the stewards will crack down hard. The stakes in real races are high, but not reckless. The film’s emphasis on over-the-top crashes may provide cinematic thrills, but they undermine the sport’s highly controlled and elite environment.
Sonny & Joshua’s Beef Is Exaggerated
Image via Apple TV+
Today’s drivers are trained to keep things professional, even when tensions run high. Clashes between teammates do happen on the track, butoff-track interactions are typically respectful, if occasionally cold. Team management and PR teams work hard to keep disputes private. In contrast, Sonny and Joshua’s constant tension and lack of mutual respect pushes the limits of what would realistically be tolerated in an actual F1 team environment.
5Sonny Racing In The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
FIA Rules Would’ve Prohibited This
One of the biggest inaccuracies in the movie is Sonny showing up at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prixand jumping into the race at the last minute. In reality, FIA rules strictly prohibit this. A driver must participate in at least one practice and qualifying session to be eligible. You can’t just arrive on race day and hop in.
F1 Cars Would’ve Been Too Expensive
The movie was actually filmed using F2 cars, which were modified with custom bodywork to mimic modern F1 cars. Filming with real F1 cars would have been too expensive and complicated, as each costs around $250,000 per day to run and requires a large team for operation. F2 cars offered a more practical solution while still delivering the high-speed realism needed forF1: The Movie.
