By Daniel Paiz

2025 has had its fair share of blockbusters, and F1 is another addition to that list. F1 sneak preview: A Cypher Flicks Review will not share about specific key moments from the film, nor what parts to doddle over or despise. There’s a grandiose sentiment that comes from a summer blockbuster because it draws viewers into something they’re unfamiliar with and tells a story you care about.

The cast has some heavy hitters with Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes) and Javier Bardem (Ruben). Add in stellar performances from Kerry Condon (Kate), Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce), and Tobias Menzies (Banning) and you have the pieces to an electric film. There also has to be a shout-out to Samson Kayo (Cashman) for grabbing a role in this film; his role in the HBO show Our Flag Means Death was phenomenal and seeing Kayo make a blockbuster is exciting. This got offtrack, which might be a reason to have a Plan C.

Plan C

Formula One racing is a precision team sport that focuses on the success of a couple of drivers, depending on the race. Seconds can determine finishing places, tenths of a second can determine when to make what moves, and risk is a searing success or heartbreaking failure. Plans are formulated to give a team strategy to combat other teams in the way and improve upon what’s done.

Plan C is something that arises out of understanding that plans are often foiled as higher beings laugh.

Understanding the car, the track, and the weather elements are vital. Experience is usually unattainable until you go through it. Sonny Hayes (Pitt) knows this firsthand. This helps to explain his intrepid lifestyle and rolling stone attitude as he hasn’t processed his inner demons. Experiences put you on another track; until you saddle up to deal with it, life keeps giving reminders there’s something to finish.

Pearce (Idris) has to learn this the hard way via replicating what Hayes did: crash and burn. There’s an unspoken understanding between these characters despite their stubbornness. Both lost their dads, projected to be hot-shot drivers, and crashed and dealt with the fallout. Plan C is a revelation Hayes brings about in that one does their best, sees how that fails, and reacts and responds accordingly.

F1 has done its homework

C1-C4 tires, soft tires, and car frames, oh my! The little things get you the big things in life, and the same is true in racing. What tires work best for racking up as many miles as possible, what tires deal best with weather elements, and wind dynamics impacting lap times are all things brought up in the film. Sonny (Pitt) brings up how to reduce time on turns. A car’s frame also impacts tenths of a second. Each aspect is simulated by Kate (Condon) and her team and then tested by Joshua (Idris) and Sonny.

The rules in a race also are front and center for Ruben’s (Bardem) team AXPGP, until Sonny shows them how to skirt the lines. Safety rules play a vital role for Ruben’s team as races continue. Reducing one’s speed because of a hazard on the track (yellow flag) or if someone is being lapped, they must let the driver lapping them get past them (blue flag) are two key rules manipulated by AXPGP to great effect. Smaller tidbits are also utilized, such as exiting the pit lane, and how tires being hot or cold impact the car’s maneuverability.

The makeup of a team is another important piece of the story, one that helps Ruben’s (Bardem) character shine. He has a technical chief in Kate who came over from aerospace engineering to help him develop a better car. A crew chief who has helped others win multiple championships. A mix of young upstarts and longtime pros in the pit crew, all of which make this team ready to rise or fall; it all depends on the guys behind the wheels.

Attention to details of the racing world helps add to the action and drama as the plot speeds forward.

Cinematic soundscapes

Hans Zimmer is a name synonymous with epically cinematic soundscapes, setting the mood and scene like clockwork. Zimmer’s sound selections are richer and thicker than molasses. The music chosen can add depth to a seemingly trivial club scene or beachside scene in just the right way. The ambient sounds for moments where the drama is peaking is not something a lot of films have. The soundscapes in F1 enveloped and drew me into a racing world I have little knowledge about.

There are moments where everything is riding on a push from the driver, a track that doesn’t respond kindly to speeds on a turn, or a training montage between races. Each of those moments is palpable. Each instance draws your attention in part to the music delivered in that moment.

Final Verdict

This film easily reaches the winner’s circle of 2025. Little things making the big things matter. Lessons are learned the hard way because of stubbornness, age, and ego. Things that are heard but not meant for prying ears adds understanding for certain characters. Accepting that discipline and hard work defeats talent nearly every time might be one of the biggest lessons a viewer can take away from this film.

Both Brad Pitt and Damson Idris trained to be drivers for this film and filmed their driving scenes. Prep happened in Formula 3 and Formula 2. That might be why you see Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz among others from Formula One also on the track. That commitment to driving adds to the storytelling because these guys have done the work. There’s an air of commitment, dedication, and experience in this film that helps tell a story and deliver in essence what formula one racing is.

Take a victory lap after seeing this film, as it’ll be one of 2025’s blockbuster titles.