I Finally Watched F1. I Loved It, But There's One Major Gripe That I Hope A Potential Sequel Fixes

After missing F1 in all its IMAX glory upon hitting the 2025 movie schedule, I finally got to experience the eye-popping Brad Pitt flick over the holidays. Let me tell you, I loved this movie and I’m not even a big fan of the sport like some of my colleagues. With drama, intense racing sequences, and the great on-screen pairing of Pitt and Damson Idris, I loved just about everything about Joseph Kosinski’s. Well, almost everything…

With all this talk of a potential F1 sequel with Pitt’s Sonny Hayes possibly taking a spin at a new form of racing, there’s something I would like for the movie to leave in the dust and not bring back the second time around. No, it’s not the flashbacks (those Camel racing jumpsuits were amazing), nor is it the first movie’s length. Instead, it’s the on-track antics of F1’s star…

We Have To Tone Down Sonny Hayes’ Problematic On-Track Methods

I get it, rubbing is racing, and racing is rubbing, but Sonny Hayes takes things to the next level throughout F1, and I don’t mean in a good way. Though I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and the race sequences were mesmerizing, I could only handle so much of Brad Pitt’s character resorting to some down-and-dirty tricks to help his team. Once or twice would have been enough to prove a point that this former hotshot F1 driver is willing to do anything, but I honestly lost count of all the reckless antics that could have gotten someone killed.

If F1 was the start of a franchise, which I wholeheartedly believe it could be, I hope that Hayes doesn’t have to resort to some old and dangerous tricks to keep up with younger drivers and more advanced teams. I’m no traditionalist by any stretch of the imagination, but this aspect of Sonny’s character took this from a great movie to just a good movie.

We Know The Guy Can Race, So Let Him Race

Through those awesome flashback sequences (seriously, I need that Camel racing suit), that exhilarating final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Sonny Hayes finally gets a win, and his mastery behind the wheel, we know that Brad Pitt’s character can race. All I have to say is: let him race.

I don’t know where the franchise is headed or if Hayes will be racing for APXGP in the future, but if he does get back on the track, I hope a sequel shows him using his racing skills and mental sharpness when going up against the young competition. Sonny and all of those who plan on seeing the movie deserve it. No tricks, no loopholes, no repeated attempts to send races into caution so his teammate can cut some time. Just let him win it clean. Old-time racing, like when he got started, you know?

All that being said, I won’t make the same mistake of missing a possible F1 sequel on the big screen. Maybe with all the award buzz, including a pair of Golden Globe nominations, and the film streaming with an Apple TV subscription, we’ll see what Sonny Hayes has in store for us soon…