F1 The Movie doesn't release until June 27, so Absolute Zero Motorsport has not seen it yet, but some folks have enjoyed early access. All the quotes I've read across the web from various actual F1 drivers have been generally pretty positive, often acknowledging that there are Hollywood exaggerations and whatnot that only true F1 fans are likely to notice or care about, but otherwise praised the exciting depiction of racing and overall relative accuracy. However, I wonder how honest these expressed views are, as they may be expected to be positive since they're employees of the sport.
The views I've read from journalists that have seen the film haven't always been quite as glowing. Of course, we're talking about people with more intimate knowledge of F1 and motorsport in general than most of the potential film viewers, which we are here at AZM. When I first learned of the film, I had concerns that it would be more Hollywood and less F1, and I was concerned about Brad Pitt being an F1 driver in the film.
Brad Pitt's character was a concern for journalists that had viewed the film so far, too, it would seem. From what they've said, Pitt's character returns to F1 after several decades away. This is even worse than my original fears, because it's just so unrealistic. People that don't follow F1 may not know or understand, but not just anyone can be an F1 driver. It's not just about the years of experience and skill leading up to an F1 career, but being physically and mentally fit beyond almost any other human being on the planet. Their minds need to quickly process tremendous amounts of information, and their bodies must react almost like Hollywood ninjas. Even if someone in their twenties is quick enough, we all slow down as we age. You rarely see F1 drivers in their thirties, as they've usually retired from the sport by then, at least from F1 specifically. Anyone in their late thirties and especially forties is an old man by Formula 1 standards.
Brad Pitt may not look like it, but he's 61. If he had been a real F1 driver, his career would likely have been over three decades earlier, with no chance at returning as a driver. In the film, he's somehow managed to get back into the sport driving a car. Worse still, he does this after decades of absence. F1 drivers spend years coming up through lower racing series, building up their skills. You can't be out of a race car for decades and then jump back in like you never left. I'm reminded of the movie Driven, wherein a retired Sylvester Stallone returns as a driver in much the same way, with the same amount of unbelievability. Mind you, I don't hate Driven, but as a motorsport enthusiast the unrealistic bits are glaring to me, though it's still a fun enough film.
As if all that wasn't enough, Pitt's character evidently does things that wouldn't work in real life. I mean, you could try them, but you'd quickly be out of a job. Motorsport has extensive rules and regulations, and they're generally not very tolerant or forgiving of violations. Even things that may seem minor to outside observers can get drivers or teams penalties. In the F1 movie, Brad Pitt's character evidently does things that would get him severely penalized and even banned. A couple examples I've seen mentioned were holding other cars up and even deliberately crashing into cars.
Impeding in qualifying in real life gets drivers several-position grid penalties, and deliberate crashing has earned drivers time penalties and points on their licenses that can lead to driving bans. Recently, Max Verstappen deliberately collided with rival George Russell, and even though it resulted in no damage or wreck he still got a ten-second time penalty that cost him several positions and was also awarded three points on his license, bringing his total to 11, just one point shy of a mandatory one-race ban. In 1998, Michael Schumacher crashed into Jacques Villeneuve during the final race of the championship, which resulted in a DNF for himself and him finishing second in the championship, but he was subsequently punished with complete disqualification from the entire championship altogether. If a real driver behaved the way Pitt's character sounds like he behaves on the track, he'd probably quickly find himself replaced.
In general, the consensus seems to be that there's tons of really great racing shots, using technology that could potentially be utilized by real F1 in the future for more exciting video, but perhaps there's too much of the racing and not enough plot. Again, we at AZM will still see it, but these are the views of folks that have seen the film so far.
