F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Sponsored by T-Mobile™.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 9, 2025

Tom Cruise is nowhere to be found, but it wouldn't be a stretch to describe Joseph Kosinski's F1 The Movie as a Top Gun: Maverick-style descendent of 1990's Days of Thunder. All share producers in Jerry Bruckheimer, while Maverick and F1 share directors in Kosinski as well as a high degree of technical proficiency and big-budget spectacle designed to be enjoyed on a large screen with huge speakers and a bucket of popcorn to pass around. F1 drifts further back from a narrative perspective, attempting to weave through familiar story beats while contending with a shaky script, yet it ultimately delivers just enough action, star power, and excitement to make up for other shortcomings.

The plot might be razor-thin, especially for a film that runs for a seemingly daunting 155 minutes, but F1 zooms by almost as quickly as any car driven by Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), an over-the-hill racer whose Formula 1 career was cut short in a near-fatal crash at the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix. Still driving for sporadic paychecks and living off the beaten path much like Cliff Booth, Sonny's recent win at the 24 Hours of Daytona brings his glory days back for a victory lap. He's tracked down by former teammate Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem) and asked for join his struggling ApexGP F1 racing team, which needs wins under its belt to get Cervantes out of massive financial debt. Their first secret weapon is brash young driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), whose ego exceeds his lack of wins... but the same thing could be said about Sonny in his younger days, so now the elder statesman might be their second secret weapon. Along with technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), team principal Kaspar Smolinski (Kim Bodnia), race engineer Will Merrick (Hugh Nickleby), and other supporters, Sonny aims to literally get Apex back in the race.

Again, those looking for a measured exploration of the human condition won't find it in F1. Seasoned film lovers will easily see plot developments coming long in advance: dangerous crashes, close calls, team turbulence, and even a vague threat from within that appears down the road. One could argue that its surprisingly small amount of subplots and detours aren't even developed well enough despite more than enough room in its runtime, which endures a few nagging pit stops around the two-thirds mark. Yet unsurprisingly, the extraordinarily well-made racing sequences -- all aided by unprecedented cooperation from F1 teams and principals, access to world-renowned venues including the UK's Silverstone Circuit, filming during the real-life F1 2023-24 seasons, appearances and "performances" by well-known racers, and a bevvy of newly-crafted camera equipment to capture the action -- lead the charge here, propelling F1 from a mushy mid-tier melodrama to an almost four-star crowd-pleaser that mostly sticks the landing.

Further merits include F1's focus on equipment and car design as well as the original score by Hans Zimmer, which alternates between more traditional orchestral moments during the human drama to bracing electronic tones in the heat of racing. (Much less can be said about the occasional needle-drop music cues, many of which feel either a little too on-the-nose or noticeably out of place.) Aside from that, my only other nagging gripes mirror the same things I don't like about real-life racing: overly dramatized announcers -- which, in this case, hand-hold the audience to an almost laughable degree -- and non-stop product placement, hence my cheeky tagline above. Otherwise, F1 is fun enough to forgive, although it doesn't hold a candle to smarter racing films like Ford v Ferrari.

Given the film's rousing box office success during a banner year, Warner Bros. has delivered a satisfying assortment of home video packages for F1 including separate 4K and Blu-ray editions as well as the preferred Steelbook combo pack, which as always remains elusive and may very well be impossible to find in a matter of days. All of them deliver solid to outstanding A/V presentations, although the entry-level bonus features favor quantity over quality.

F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As usual, please see my recent review of the UHD edition for an overview of F1's visual aesthetic, which in this case combines tack-sharp digital photography and a wide assortment of unique camera setups -- some of which were newly designed -- to achieve a visceral, you-are-there experience during the racing sequences while pulling back into much more familiar visual territory for just about everything else. The good news is that Warner Bros.' capably downscaled 1080p/SDR transfer runs a respectable second within format limitations: colors and contrast surely don't have the same measured punch of HDR while the bit rate runs surprisingly low and typically hovers around the ~20 Mbps range, yet a decently healthy and borderline vibrant is still somehow wrung out of merits that, on paper, run well below what the 4K disc manages to put out. Fine details, textures, and stability also run comfortably within expected 1080p boundaries, showcasing the film's wide variety of locations and tracks with reasonable energy to spare. On small to medium-sized displays, this Blu-ray should run sufficiently smoothly to satisfy fans who haven't upgraded to UHD yet.

F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive is the Dolby Atmos audio, which delivers the goods from start to finish while inarguably roaring to life most prominently during the film's numerous racing sequences. From the low end of engine response to squealing brakes, from the roar of the crowd to the ever-present echo of those perpetually narrating announcers, smooth panning effects while racers battle for position, and visceral in-car responses to the chaos, this is a full-bodied presentation that also features crisp dialogue, nicely appointed background ambiance, and music cues that regularly fill out the surround channels while occasionally venturing overhead. While I didn't get the chance to see F1 theatrically, one can assume that this lossless audio mix delivers all the thrills and excitement that your personal setup can muster.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all extras listed below.

F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and a Digital Copy code. The extras are fairly varied as far as subject matter, but all of them are far too short with a disappointing surface-level sheen.

• Inside the F1 The Movie Table Read (5:10) - This short piece includes footage from a June 2023 table read shot at Silverstone Circuit as well as brief interview segments with key members of the cast and crew.

• The Anatomy of a Crash (6:28) - Director Joseph Kosinski, special effects supervisor Keith Dawson, and others briefly discuss various approaches to shooting one of the film's many crashes.

• Getting Up to Speed (5:02) - This similarly bite-sized piece features additional sequence choreographer Craig Dolby, actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, lead sequence choreographer Luciano Bacheta, and others who talk about the extensive training needed to prepare the racers for getting behind the wheel.

• APXGP Innovations (5:26) - Director Joseph Kosinski, executive producer Tim Bampton, and others return to shed some light on the film's multi-angle approach to capturing racing footage on camera.

• Making It to Silverstone (5:08) - Pitt, Idris, Kosinski, and other usual suspects convey their gratitude for the unique chance to film at the UK's renowned Silverstone Circuit facility.

• Lewis Hamilton: Producer (5:18) - A lightweight but sincere tribute to the Formula 1 legend and nine-time Silverstone winner, who of course doubles (triples?) as one of F1's many producers.

• APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World (9:26) - This comparatively epic-length piece fittingly serves as an all-purpose look at the unprecedented multi-venue access granted to the cast and crew.

• APXGP and F1: How It Was Filmed (5:45) - Returning to more comfortable five-minute territory, this brief featurette sheds more light on how such a high level of realism was able to be achieved.

• Sound of Speed (5:01) - This final piece looks a brief but welcome look at the film's realistic approach to sound design as well as the two-toned sonic contributions of composer Hans Zimmer.

F1: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joseph Kosinski's F1 The Movie ain't rocket surgery, but it's perhaps the most technically proficient racing movie ever made... and for that alone, it'll absolutely thrill fans of the sport. Those looking for in-depth character development and a carefully written original script won't get either of those things, but they might end up having fun too. Warner Bros.' 4K and Blu-ray offer great to outstanding technical merits, with the UHD edition obviously getting a comfortable win, while both share the road in a preferred Steelbook combo pack. Firmly Recommended to the right crowd.