F1: The Movie marks Joseph Kosinski’s anticipated return to filmmaking following the enormous success of Top Gun: Maverick and has received impressive reviews so far. Kosinski’s movie centers around retired Formula One driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who returns to driving three decades after a near-fatal accident and struggles to keep up with the new generation. F1‘s impressive Rotten Tomatoes score is a great early indicator of the movie’s quality, but audiences will be able to judge for themselves when it releases in theaters on June 27, 2025.
F1 has gathered extensive coverage thanks to Brad Pitt’s real-life driving in the movie and Kosinski’s innovative filming techniques, which have turned the project into a major talking point. Thankfully, there are countless other great sports movies to keep audiences engaged until F1 is finally released. Kosinski’s film tackles some very common themes within the genre, such as the price of success, the burden of ambition, and the electricity of professional rivalry. These are all concepts that have been widely discussed in previous sports movies.
8
Rush (2013)
Directed By Ron Howard
Rush is one of the most engaging and well-directed racing movies of the past few decades, as Ron Howard delivers a story that’s just as much about fast cars as it is about human conflict and emotions. The narrative centers around James Hunt and Niki Lauda, two of the leading F1 drivers of their generation, and the professional rivalry that pushed them to their limits.
However, what’s so excellent about Rush is that it’s accessible to anybody — it doesn’t require any prior knowledge of Hunt and Lauda’s careers to enjoy. The movie does a great job of giving the audience all the relevant context right away, allowing them to get lost in this relatable tale of ambition and power without worrying about real-world accuracy.
7
Ferrari (2023)
Directed By Michael Mann
When considering Michael Mann’s best movies, it’s typically the intense thrillers like Heat and Collateral that understandably find themselves at the front of the discussion. But Ferrari proves that Mann’s talents aren’t restricted to that genre; despite its slower pace and more character-driven narrative, this high-stakes drama is just as exciting as Mann’s more sensational movies.
It’s a fascinating piece of storytelling that mirrors the high-speed thrills of Enzo’s cars with the sharp conflict of his domestic life.
Ferrari centers around Enzo Ferrari, whose personal and professional struggles came to a head in the summer of 1957, leading him to stake his entire company on a thousand-mile race through rural Italy. It’s a fascinating piece of storytelling that mirrors the high-speed thrills of Enzo’s cars with the sharp conflict of his domestic life.
6
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Directed By Joseph Kosinski
Top Gun: Maverick is Joseph Kosinski’s most recent project, so it’s not surprising that it shares many clear similarities with his upcoming F1: The Movie. This groundbreaking action film is a sequel to Tony Scott’s Top Gun, with Tom Cruise reprising his iconic role after almost four decades. The new story centers around a group of pilot recruits who are trained by the revered Pete “Maverick” Mitchell for a dangerous flight combat scenario.
Top Gun: Maverick was an enormous box office success that’s widely credited with getting general audiences back into movie theaters following the pandemic. It displays the perfect blend of Cruise’s undeniable charisma and Kosinski’s fierce direction, which work together to create an unforgettable sensory experience unlike anything else in the genre.
5
Gran Turismo (2023)
Directed By Neill Blomkamp
Gran Turismo is a hugely underrated piece of action filmmaking that stands out from the crowd thanks to its rich, poignant character work and compelling performances. It’s much more than a cinematic spectacle, touching on themes of raw ambition and human conflict that will be familiar to anybody who’s ever dreamed of being the very best at something.
Neill Blomkamp’s movie follows real-life teenager Jann Mardenborough, whose apтιтude at the Gran Turismo video game led him to be selected for an elite training program in the world of high-speed racing. The way this movie blends powerful, factual character arcs with its stylized visuals and high-stakes storytelling is such an innovative way to tell this story; it lets the viewer step into the world of digital racing through the more familiar lens of a real-world F1 track.
4
Creed (2015)
Directed By Ryan Coogler
While Creed may differ from F1 in the sport that it depicts, the key themes of both movies are surprisingly familiar. Ryan Coogler’s sports drama is a loose sequel to the Rocky movies, bringing Sylvester Stallone back to his iconic role and giving us a new protagonist for whom he serves as a mentor. Much like F1, it’s a story about pushing yourself to the absolute limits and letting professional rivalry serve as a catalyst to get stronger.
While all the Creed movies have their strengths, there’s something about the original that feels incredibly potent and refined in comparison to the later ones. The way Coogler’s direction brings this story to life with such energy and electricity is unmatched, while the movie features one of Michael B. Jordan’s best-ever performances.
3
Ford V Ferrari (2019)
Directed By James Mangold
James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari is often dismissed as “Oscar-bait” because of its immense critical acclaim and subsequent success at the Academy Awards, but this profound sports drama is much more than that. Featuring two excellent performances from Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Ford v Ferrari is a timeless tale of human compeтιтion and the universal feeling of wanting to win.
Beyond the powerful character drama, Ford v Ferrari also shines thanks to its sensational action set pieces. Mangold certainly knows how to direct a movie, and the way he brings this fairly grounded story to life with all the spectacle and pageantry of a James Bond or Mad Max outing is truly staggering.
2
Le Mans (1971)
Directed By Lee H. Katzin
In many ways, films like Ford v Ferrari would never exist without Lee H. Katzin’s Le Mans paving the way. It’s one of the best racing movies ever made, telling the story of a Porsche driver named Michael Delaney who struggles to keep his personal struggles under the surface as he’s forced into a fierce rivalry with another driver from a rival team.
Katzin’s offering deserves endless credit for essentially setting the blueprint of this popular subgenre.
Although Le Mans’ story is very simple in comparison to other sports rivalry movies in the same vein, Katzin’s offering deserves endless credit for essentially setting the blueprint of this popular subgenre. Harry Kleiner’s screenplay really understands that beyond the loud set pieces and high-octane races, it’s the simple human drama that makes or breaks this story — and he ensures it’s the former.
1
Moneyball (2011)
Directed By Bennet Miller
Moneyball may not have anything to do with motorsports, but its rags-to-riches narrative offers some of the most compelling, grounded storytelling in the wider sports genre. With a sharp screenplay from Aaron Sorkin and a ferocious lead performance from Brad Pitt, Moneyball’s slow-paced, dialogue-heavy story is somehow more exciting than plenty of action movies from the same era.
The film centers on Billy Beane, the real-life manager of the Oakland Athletics, as he ᴀssembles a winning baseball team using state-of-the-art computer analysis. Much like F1: The Movie, the movie offers a fascinating insight into the workings of this particular sports industry, using fun characters and good drama to teach the audience something new while keeping them on the edge of their seat from start to finish.
