As directed by Joseph Kosinski, who’s best known for Top Gun: Maverick, one could say his turning to direct F1 is merely a case of switching from fast fighter jets to fast racing cars, and moving from one living film icon, Tom Cruise, to another, Brad Pitt. As Ehren Kruger is once again responsible for the screenplay, one could go cynical and call this Warner/Apple Original Films production a calculated, formulaic box office sure-winner. While all that could be levied against the film, it doesn’t explain how Kosinski makes it all work, be exciting, and so immersive, so I’ll salute him for managing all that.

Best watched on an IMAX screen, the most thrilling aspect of the package is that ‘immersive’ description. The camera work, the sound, the editing, they all truly make each race scene something that resembles the closest we can get to living the moment, and being strapped in these ‘flying’ road vehicles.

The premise originates from central casting and clichéd storylines. The Apex Grand Prix (APXGP) is owned by Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), and halfway into the F1 season, they don’t have a single constructor’s point from the races. So Ruben reaches out to former fellow racer Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) to be a mentor to their young, unpolished star Noah Pearce (Damson Idris) and become APXGP #2 driver.

When Ruben contacts Sonny, Sonny has just done a stint in Daytona and was thinking of heading to Baja. In other words, while it’s been some thirty years since he quit F1, it’s being established that the man still competes, and has racing in his blood. That’s important as it’s not like Cervantes is plucking someone from off the street to suddenly blossom into a F1 driver - the fitness, the skill, the drive for precision and perfection are all still there in Sonny.

The screenplay then takes us into the inner workings of an F1 team - most interesting here is the introduction of Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), the APX technical director, who’s all-female. The political and financial motivations behind these car racing teams are exemplified by Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), an APX Director and partner/investor to Cervantes. To support this, Cervantes keeps mentioning his contract and how his position as team owner is a precarious one.

Lewis Hamilton is listed among the producers, and there are countless cameos from real-life drivers and owners. The technology, the design aspect, the simulators, the ‘it takes a village’ aspect to make a victory happen, are all highlighted; and it’s interesting enough so that despite this attention to detail, those who aren’t obsessed with F1 racing can still follow.

The Gran Turismo premise of bringing in a grizzled veteran to guide the young hotshot is evident from a mile away, and we can predict what will happen. But kudos to Kosinski and Kruger for keeping us invested throughout the two and a half hours of this film. If ever, it could have taken some editing and trimming, knocking off some ten minutes of the film.

While the advanced screening I was invited to meant the IMAX cinema was filled with racing enthusiasts, the real test would be how regular moviegoers would still find the film worth watching. On that point, the human drama, the wry character of Sonny Hayes, and even the strategizing within the racing all point to a healthy box office return for this film, along with a storyline that will attract both male and female audiences.

Sonny is that loser we cheer for, there’s an arc to the Noah character, and we do invest in the plight of Ruben, who may be losing his team. The will-they-or-won’t-they aspect of Sonny and Kate should keep the female audience enthralled, and the driving tactics of Sonny will constantly bring a smile to our faces.

As for me, my only regret is that if we wanted the high drama of F1 in a film, nothing is more ripe on the vine than a tell-all about Bernie Ecclestone, the man who ruled F1 like his private kingdom for over forty years. Now that’s an F1 tale worth putting on film.