I surprised myself with this one

Yesterday, I surprised myself by going to see the new F1 movie. Dragged by my partner, to be clear. I know the bare minimum about Formula 1. Drive fast, try to win, don’t die.

I thought I had the plot figured out before the lights dimmed. A washed-up driver. A cocky young teammate. A losing streak longer than a quarterly budget meeting. Then, a miraculous final win. Boom. Credits roll.

And yet I was riveted.

Sure, the racing scenes are pure cocaine for your eyeballs. The sound, the editing, and Zimmer’s score all had my heart pounding. But what hooked me wasn’t the cars. It was the characters. Brad Pitt plays Sonny, a has-been who never really was. Damson Idris plays Joshua, a talented but self-absorbed rookie.

They’re oil and water, fire and gasoline, pineapple and pizza (fight me).

In F1, the older, seasoned driver Sonny and the young, ambitious hotshot Joshua are constantly butting heads. But that clash isn’t wasted. It’s not just filler conflict. It evolves both characters. It pushes them to grow, change, and take risks. Their tension sparks key turning points in the plot. Without it, the story would stall.

The female characters are also real and refreshing. Competent, central to the action, and not just there for decoration. Revolutionary concept, I know.

F1 reminded me that you don’t need clever plot twists that make audiences go “I never saw that coming!”

Sometimes the best stories are ones where you see everything coming from mile one, but you’re still white-knuckling your armrest when it arrives.

F1 works because it keeps raising the stakes. Because each scene matters. Because the characters drive the story.

Even a story we think we’ve seen a hundred times can still make our hearts race.

PS: Fun fact: Racing helmets instantly transform any leading man into a chipmunk. Brad Pitt included. My observation. You’re welcome.