Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is a reckless yet effective Formula One driver in F1: The Movie, but his strategy would create problems in a real race, an expert reveals. F1: The Movie is a hit and continues to move up the 2025 box office leaderboards. Part of its appeal is its seemingly authentic racing sequences, expertly brought to life by director Joseph Kosinski and his team.

In the film, Hayes exploits several F1 rules to his benefit, including the safety car, which slows things down to clear debris or other obstacles from the track. His rule-breaking nature is a key part of his character and adds to the tension of the various racing scenes.

Now, it’s clear aspects of Hayes’ strategy wouldn’t actually work in a real race, according to an F1 expert. In an interview with Vulture, journalist Chris Medland said his strategies would be “problematic“ and provided a real-life F1 example. He explained:

You definitely see more aggressive drivers out on the course, but in terms of triggering a safety car … If that was seen as something done deliberately, it would be pretty problematic. There was an occasion back in 2008 where a team instructed one of its drivers to crash on purpose to create a safety car at the right time to help the other driver who had just made a pit stop, and then he won the race. That scandal was huge. They called it “Crashgate.” Two people got banned from the sport for life, though ironically, one of those drivers is now back working in the sport as a special adviser. But there were and are drivers who are on the more aggressive end of the spectrum, who are more likely to be involved in genuine incidents.

During the Hungarian Grand Prix in F1: The Movie, Hayes triggers safety cars by colliding with other drivers, pushing gravel onto the track, and crashing into barriers. It’s a strategy that works to move Joshua Pearce into the top 10, since his pit stops cost him less time. While it’s effective, it would likely lead to a penalty in a real race, according to Medland:

A big part of Formula One is track position. Your pit stops are the key time to try to gain a position. If you haven’t made your pit stop yet, then you’re naturally ahead of the people that have, because they’ve taken time going into the pit. When the safety car, or virtual safety car, is deployed, everyone has to slow down because of debris or a crash or marshals on the track dealing with something.

With everyone going slower, the amount of time you lose in making a pit stop is lessened, because the cars out on track are not circulating anywhere near as quickly. These are rough numbers, but generally, if you lose 20 seconds of race time by making a pit stop during normal conditions, you might only lose ten or 12 seconds when the safety car is deployed. That means you can gain positions by making your pit stop during a safety-car period. The drivers just don’t know when those moments are coming. When the safety car gets triggered, the drivers will have a time display on their steering wheels that tells them the speed or lap time that they’re not allowed to go quicker than. If they do, there’s a penalty.

What Sonny Hayes’ Controversial Strategy Means For F1: The Movie’s Accuracy

Hayes Would Likely Face Consequences For His Behavior

Based on Medland’s analysis, Hayes and his team would have faced consequences for constantly triggering safety cars. While intent needs to be proven, his constant collisions that create debris could easily be considered intentional, especially since it benefits his teammates. The lack of any penalty for his actions hurt the film’s accuracy, but F1 does call it out.

Hayes exploits loopholes to his advantage several times, and members of his crew explain why it could be problematic. The other F1 drivers, like Max Verstappen, are enraged by his collisions, and he clashes with his team over his unannounced strategies. He may not be punished for violating the rules, but the film does attempt to explain why his driving is controversial.

Our Take On F1: The Movie’s Expert Analysis

It May Not Be Accurate, But It Is Entertaining

F1 enthusiasts, like Medland, could get frustrated by Hayes’ driving, and how he benefits from taking advantage of F1’s rules. However, his stubborn nature and clever techniques make Pitt’s character both endearing and complex. He’s easy to like since he’s so determined to win, but it’s frustrating to see him create unnecessary tension with his own team.

It may not be accurate, but it adds plenty of drama, humor, and suspense to each race, making the racing scenes perfect for a summer blockbuster. Sports in film typically violate standard rules or ethics to create a more exciting experience for the audience, and F1: The Movie does that without getting too ridiculous.