Review: 'F1' goes deep into the exciting details of Formula 1 racing, but the storyline falls into another kind of formula

Every sports movie ultimately has to make a choice — at what point are you going to sacrifice authenticity, all the work that has gone into creating the atmosphere of genuine competition, to give the audience the outcome they want?

In other words, at what point does a sports movie — no matter how accurate it purports to beor how many experts or former athletes it brings on as producers and technical advisers — become a variation on “The Mighty Ducks”?

That’s the question that hovers expectantly over “F1,” in which director Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) takes us into the noise, the flash and the fury of Formula 1 racing — and manages to present it as a high-stakes thrill-a-minute endeavor. But, still, when the rubber meets the road, this adrenaline rush of a movie still has to have its “Mighty Ducks” moment.

Kosinski and Kruger (who share story credit) start with the protagonist, Sonny Hayes, who’s played by Brad Pitt in an outward admission that the name “Sonny” hasn’t really applied for a long time. Hayes will race anywhere — when we meet him, he’s a team’s overnight driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona — but never stays around for long, and he’s off in the van in which he also lives.

Sonny is in a Florida laundromat when he’s found by an old racing buddy, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), who owns a struggling Formula 1 team and needs Sonny’s help. There are only nine races in the season, and if Ruben’s APX GP team doesn’t get a win, the F1 board will force him to sell the team. Ruben wants Sonny to drive the No. 2 slot behind his rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). 

On one level, Pearce and Sonny are opposites — Pearce is all about computer simulators and running on treadmills, while Sonny prefers old-school methods like jogging on the track ahead of the race. Deep down, of course, they’re identical in their drive to win and a staggering confidence in their ability to harness what’s essentially a rocket engine with a steering column. Sonny has more miles on him, and at least one near-fatal crash in his early Formula 1 days.

So can Sonny work with the hotheaded Pearce? Can he convince the team’s technical director, Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), to create a tougher car that can handle his type of driving? And can the incessant race commentary impart enough plot exposition and automotive expertise to let the audience feel like they know what’s going on? The answer to the third question is: Your mileage may vary.

Certainly, if the idea is to present Formula 1 as an endless caravan of corporate logos and product placement, “F1” nails it. It seems like the only frames of this movie that don’t come with a company name are the tight close-ups of Pitt — whose face has become a corporate logo in itself. The movie looks as expensive as anything with a Rolex or Ferrari label attached, and we have Apple Studios to thank for that, promising a second life for this movie on streaming after its theatrical run is done. (That said, if you do plan to see “F1,” an IMAX screen and sound system is your best bet.)

Even when succumbing to the sports-movie cliches, Kosinski delivers where it counts, in the jaw-dropping spectacle of Formula 1 racing — its exotic locales, its ostentatious spending, its endless media hype, and the sheer excitement of “car go fast, vroom vroom.” “F1” may be another racing movie, but it’s a state-of-the-art model of the genre.

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‘F1”

★★★

Opens Friday, June 27, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for strong language, and action. Running time: 155 minutes.