Mac Engel: A $300 million gamble: Can Brad Pitt do for F1 what Tom Cruise did for NASCAR?

Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jun 27, 2025

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The lasting impression of the new movie F1 isn’t of the spectacular racing sequences on an IMAX screen but that of Brad Pitt. No one should look like that at any age, much less 61.

It’s not inspiring. It’s not motivational. It’s just depressing.

The hairline is intact, as are the abs and muscle tone. While I crushed pretzel bites in front of an 8,745-foot screen watching Pitt pretend to race cool cars all over the world, all I could do was be mad at my parents. This is on them.

That was just in the film’s first five minutes. There were two hours and 30 more minutes to go.

“F1” is Hollywood’s latest big swing to entice people to put down their phones, and/or leave their living room, to trek to the theater for the traditional film experience. See it on IMAX, and F1 is a fun jolt in an F1 car. Don’t worry too much about the easy plot; enjoy the ride.

“F1” is parent company Liberty Media’s investment to retain, and grow, the American audience that came in when Netflix released its docuseries, “Drive To Survive.”

The similarities between Pitt’s "F1" and Tom Cruise’s 1990 summer hit “Days of Thunder” are all over the track. Veteran Hollywood mogul Jerry Bruckheimer is a producer of both, and the movies are loaded with cameos from the prominent personalities of both leagues.

Both movies had the cooperation of the respective racing organizations in production, and the look and feel of "F1: is slick, glossy and seductive. The movies are effectively commercials for both NASCAR and F1.

Both movies use state-of-the-art technology to provide in car racing footage that gives it a level of authenticity to wow a viewer. Visually, "F1" is damn near perfect.

Liberty Media can only hope that this Pitt movie has the same impact that Cruise’s Thunder had on NASCAR. “Days of Thunder” is the biggest reason why NASCAR launched itself out of its Southeast roots to all over the U.S. with cities and states pouring asphalt anywhere to attract a race.

Since then, no big pro sports league has been impacted by complementary TV programming more than F1, and specifically, “Drive to Survive.” The Netflix show made its debut in 2019, and is currently in its seventh season. The show received a major boost by COVID, when consumers were looking for something else to watch.

Thanks to “Drive to Survive,” F1 created an American audience. With races entrenched in Austin, Miami and Las Vegas, F1 is on firm footing in America, something it sought for decades.

That casual familiarity with the brand allows this Pitt movie to work with a novice viewer. It helps, but you don’t need to know McLaren, Toto or Max Verstappen, or other specifics of Formula 1 to enjoy "F1."

The plot is preposterous; Pitt is an old driver who hasn’t raced F1 in 30 years, but he is lured across the pond midseason by a longtime friend, team owner Javier Bardem. He needs Pitt to both drive one of his two cars while teaching a talented rookie driver, and keep the team competitive so he doesn’t have to sell it.

As much as event organizers want an American driver to succeed in F1, the last time a U.S. driver stood on a podium after an F1 race was in 1993, Michael Andretti. No F1 driver would be 61. The old man currently is Fernando Alonso, 43.

There are just enough parts to this that are close to the truth to stay within the lines of believable-ish. Owning F1 teams are murderously expensive, and the dynamic between the two drivers on an F1 team is one of the most dysfunctional in all of pro sports.

There are parts of the film stolen straight from real life. F1 fans will immediately recognize similarities of the film’s finale, and the actual finish of the memorable 2021 season that came down to the controversial last lap of the season between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen.

(BTW: Hamilton is a producer of the film, and he has multiple appearances in the movie.)

Don’t sweat these details; just enjoy the visceral experience of an F1 race, while trying not to vomit at the sight of a 61-year-old man who gets to look like Brad Pitt.