Let us deal with the much-discussed aspect first and get it out of the way. The temptation to compare F1 with FordvsFerrari is kind of natural but bit inappropriate. While from a layman’s gaze both are “auto-racing movies”, the similarities end there.
Yes, it is about racing but 24 Hours of Le Mans and F1 are two distinctly different sport with significantly different skill sets. I know this feels like ‘racing for the dummies’ kind of explanation but let’s just say the Le Mans is a marathon and F1 is a 100-meter sprint. Both involve running but the prior calls for endurance and the later needs outright bursts.
For those keen on the technology, the equipment used in Le Mans is meant to last, endure abuse and perform for a longer duration and is built to offer a balance between efficiency and speed. F1 on the other hand has razor sharp focus on speed and dynamics. The weight, the components and the design is not expected to take abuse and aims for extraordinary speeds and manoeuvrability for a short burst of time.
Now talking about the movies, in a very interesting way, FvF just like the endurance equipment focuses on multiple things. Along with the auto racing and the technicalities, it also focuses on the human drama and the many relationships and conflicts at play alongside the race track. Whereas F1 just like the car focuses primarily on the on-track events and has less (if not little) to offer on the human aspect.
Some reviews mention that two gifted actors Pitt & Bardem are wasted in a film that goes around the circuit for too long. That just explains the reviewers understanding of the sport and dare I say cinema. F1 racing for the uninitiated is about cars going round and round for laps, it’s not that simple. The makers of F1, I believe made a very conscious choice to keep the human elements to the minimum and focused on the sport instead. The movie does not aim to be a drama; it is an action film wanting to bring audience closer to the sport and in that it finishes on the podium without a shadow of doubt.
So, to expect deeper, longer character arcs for Hayes, Joshua and Ruben would be defeating the purpose. The characters are sufficiently detailed for the audience to root for them and that is all there needs to be in an action film. A deeper dive into Hayes’s backstory or his friendship with Ruben and his miseries would have forced the film to compromise on the action footage and the makers have been spot on in avoiding that.
F1 quickly dives into action and that is very it excels. The cinematography and the race scenes are absolutely spectacular to the say the least. And dare I say, while the commentary may seem a bit of a dumbed down version of what regular followers are used to hear during the actual F1 race, it wins in its aim to bring new audience closer to the sport by introducing them to technical aspects which are otherwise difficult to comprehend. For desi crowd, an example could be the way we understand nuances of hockey in Chak De, this is like that and it works.
We are introduced to the machines, the test equipment, the track, the tires, the pit-stop strategies, the pit crews and it all comes together when the cars perform thrilling manoeuvres and offer us the quintessential edge of the seat entertainment. We get glimpse of current superstars like Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, Alonzo among many others. It is so fabulously put together that at one point it gets difficult to separate the film from live action sport.
If you really want to nitpick on the screenplay, one can argue that it is a bit of a stretch to accept a driver returning to F1 after decades of absence and getting behind the wheels so effortlessly. I also found it a bit difficult to accept Sonny Hayes quickly taking the reins of the entire team overpowering the team director and the technical head with his eccentricity and charm respectively (see to understand). But then that’s seriously a point we can let go in pursuit of speed.
I do not wish to get into the race details and action specifics because it is pointless doing that, it is a pure audio-visual experience to consume and enjoy and needs no building up per say.
A quick and much deserved nod to the pit crew of the film who enable the film to race through. Supporting cast, including Damson Idris as Joshua, Kerry Condon as Kate, Tobias Menzies as Banning and others do their bit to keep things quick and tight. Claudio Miranda’s cinematography is the fastest hand here with spectacular drone footage and thrilling on car shots. Hans Zimmer provides the fuel with the beats and sounds to accompany the roaring engines and screeching tyres. Production, set and art design do their bit to tighten the screws and ensure that the car finishes the laps. Overall, a top-notch effort to provide us a complete package.
One final point, the biggest win for F1 is it offers a much-needed break from endless parade of superhero movies overcrowding the action genre. Seriously, even during the interval I got to see the trailer of superman and fantastic four and it was annoying to say the least. F1 revives large screen action cinema with this refreshing new sub-genre of racing and in my opinion succeeds all the way.
Word of caution, while we cannot don a super hero costumes and fight on streets having watched a Marvel/DC offering, it can get tempting to push the gas and rev a bit harder on our street cars as we exit the cinema having seen F1. Ladies and gentleman, enjoy the thrills on screen and leave it there. Drive your vehicle safely, follow traffic rules and do wear seat belt when you travel.
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