F1: The Movie is a mostly authentic experience, but there are six major things it gets wrong about real Formula One racing. From the director and co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski and Ehren Kruger, the new racing movie stars Brad Pitt as 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 H๏τsH๏τ 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 Movie has received rave reviews from 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 sH๏τ 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 authentic racing movies Hollywood 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.

1

APXGP 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 team and 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 Movie features several real Formula One drivers and teams, such as Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time World Drivers’ Champion of the UK for Mercedes.

2

Sonny Hayes Being An F1 Driver

He’s Not Entirely Believable

Formula One is among the most exclusive sports in the world, with only 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.

Getting into F1 is as much about politics and networking as it is about racing ability. Drivers often rely on powerful sponsors, wealthy family members, or influential connections to get noticed. It’s not uncommon for a driver’s seat to be secured because of financial backing or commercial appeal rather than raw skill alone. This reality makes Sonny’s return to F1 feel implausible from the outset.

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 team giving 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, and a weak neck simply couldn’t handle it.

That’s where Brad Pitt physically just 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.

3

Sonny 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 mᴀssive, and team officials were banned from the sport for years. The idea that Sonny could cause multiple crashes to 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 crashing and 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.

4

F1 Rivalries Aren’t That Dramatic

Sonny & Joshua’s Beef Is Exaggerated

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 for F1: The Movie.