Anyone who knows even a little about the world-class motorsport Formula 1, or F1, will likely think, "This is quite well made," after watching this film. Brad Pitt's good looks may have faded as he approaches sixty, but his unique, laid-back acting style is well integrated into the role.

F1 is a car racing competition that takes place around the world, closely resembling a comprehensive sport where technology, capital, and strategy are all intertwined. Each team competes with machines they have designed themselves, racing on circuits worldwide, where engine performance, aerodynamics, tire management, pit strategies, and the driver's split-second decisions all determine the outcome. The financial scale involved in a single season is enormous, which is why it's often referred to as a laboratory for automotive technology development. This is why F1 is commonly called a technological war on wheels.

At the center of this film are two drivers, Sony Hayes and Joshua Pierce. They are not real drivers but are set within the fictional 11th F1 team, ApexGP. Anyone familiar with F1 will find this amusing from the start. In reality, getting a single team into the competition is like reaching for the stars, yet the film boldly creates an 11th team. It sets the stage quite grandly from the beginning.

The ApexGP setup is surprisingly realistic. It is a customer team using a Mercedes power unit, which sounds plausible since they are an unheard-of team but have a Mercedes engine. Looking closely at the car adds to the fun. The body is covered with sponsor decals from real brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Expensify, Shark Ninja, MSC Cruises, GEICO, EA Sports, and IWC. These aren't just fake logos for the movie; they are actual brands, making it feel more authentic.

Here, we find a key point of the film. The production team clearly understands the relationship between F1 and its sponsors. F1 cannot operate without sponsors. Therefore, during the film's production phase, they actively recruited real sponsors. For the audience, even though it's a movie, it feels like, "Isn't this almost a real team?" They executed product placement effectively. Especially for those who frequently watch F1 broadcasts, the familiarity of those logos enhances immersion significantly.

The vehicle production process is also intriguing. Typically, one might assume such films are heavily reliant on CGI, but this movie is surprisingly more analog than expected. They actually collaborated with Mercedes to create the filming vehicles. Of course, they couldn't buy several real F1 race cars for filming, so they chose Formula 2 machines based on Toto Wolff's advice.

The production team purchased as many as six Dallara F2 2018 vehicles and modified them to closely resemble F1 machines in appearance, working alongside Mercedes. They even equipped them with filming gear like rotating cameras and recorders. This feels less like movie props and more like turning a race car into a filming apparatus. At this point, it resembles an experimental project more than a film.

As a result, the racing scenes feel distinctly different. Instead of the typical floating sensation of CGI, you can feel the real cars gripping, sliding, and shaking on the track. Many camera angles overlap with those seen in F1 broadcasts, creating moments where you might momentarily feel like you're watching an actual race.

The film's story, crafted with care, follows the typical sports movie formula. It features conflicts between a veteran and a young driver, internal team tensions, performance struggles, and a comeback. It's not entirely new. However, the intense backdrop of F1 makes this familiar structure fit surprisingly well. Elements like engine sounds, pit strategies, and team orders naturally create tension.

The true charm of this film lies in how much it respects F1. It's not just an action movie set against a racing backdrop; there's a persistent effort to portray the world of F1 as realistically as possible. Even though it's a fictional team, the setup is so detailed that it wouldn't seem out of place on the actual grid.

For those unfamiliar with F1, it may just appear as an exhilarating racing movie, while those with even a little knowledge of F1 will find enjoyment in recognizing how much the production team studied the sport. F1 enthusiasts will likely chuckle at each sponsor decal as they watch.

Ultimately, this film is enjoyable even for those who don't know F1, and it becomes even more entertaining for those who do. The fictional ApexGP and the real F1 world blend seamlessly, blurring the lines between reality and film. If you turn up the engine sounds, you might feel like you're sitting somewhere in the paddock for a moment. Whether you're a racing fan or not, this film certainly offers enough reasons to watch it at least once.

For those who haven't seen it yet, I recommend taking the time to watch it.