F1 The Movie: All the inaccuracies in the new Brad Pitt film, explained

Brad Pitt’s latest release, F1: The Movie, revs up the silver screen with visceral, real-race footage, but beneath the roaring engines lies a trail of eyebrow-raising liberties. The film foregoes qualifying sessions, bends overtaking rules, and even invents safety-car drama straight out of Crashgate, yet the characters act like nothing’s amiss.

Scenes like mid-track thumbs-ups amid rule-breaking collisions and over‑the‑top crashes earned both chuckles from racers and criticism from purists. Fasten your seatbelt, it’s time to unpack every dramatic drift away from the real Formula 1, scene by scene.

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The biggest detail F1: The Movie leaves out

In real-life Formula 1, qualifying is a make-or-break session split into three phases, deciding grid positions and often the outcome of the race. But in F1: The Movie, it’s practically erased. Sonny Hayes’ dramatic Silverstone return skips any mention of the qualifying day prior, even though his car redesign focuses on “combat,” which would actually hurt time-trial performance.

It’s a glaring oversight that muddles the film’s world-building logic. Qualifying is one of the most important parts of F1 races. It's strategy, drama, and a cornerstone of F1’s identity. By leaving it out, the film sacrifices realism for narrative flair, and die-hard fans are definitely noticing the plot hole.

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The film adds a lot of drama to the sport

F1: The Movie burns rubber past realism, trading the slow grind of motorsport careers for plotlines juiced with adrenaline. In real life, Formula 1 is a long-haul game, where rookies claw their way up and veterans fade gradually, not dramatically, returning to glory overnight.

But in the film? Rivalries flare instantly, comebacks happen with cinematic convenience, and emotional arcs hit faster than a DRS pass. Character journeys are slick, sharp, and supercharged, but they skip the messier, marathon-like reality. It’s less about the full pit crew, more about the main-character energy. Sure, it thrills, but don’t mistake it for a true race recap.

Also Read: Is Brad Pitt’s character racing in the F1: The Movie logically correct? Explained in depth

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A few technical errors in the film

While F1 The Movie nails the vibe of modern racing, eagle-eyed fans will spot a few creative liberties. The cars, though visually striking, are actually modified F2 vehicles, not quite matching F1’s insane speed and handling. Some overtakes and pit strategies feel a little too perfect, clearly tweaked for maximum cinematic punch.

But these tweaks are subtle, and most casual viewers won’t blink. The filmmakers made a conscious pit stop at drama over precision, trading a few technical truths for adrenaline and emotion. It’s not flawless, but it’s fast, fun, and visually rich enough to keep most engines humming.

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In real life, Sonny Hayes would never survive a racing track in F1

Forget the missing qualifying and practice sessions, F1 The Movie takes even wilder liberties with race-day tactics. Sonny Hayes and his teammate Joshua Pearce pull off cheeky stunts that feel more Days of Thunder than Formula 1. Disabling rivals mid-race or tampering with your own car? That’s an instant black flag in the real world.

F1 cars are fragile, high-speed machines where even a brush can end in catastrophe. Stewards today are adamant about safety, and these antics would result in immediate disqualification. In reality, Hayes wouldn’t be racing; he’d be explaining himself to the FIA tribunal.

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Joshua Pearce's crash was a little unrealistic

Of course, F1 the Movie delivers a fiery, slow-mo crash, Joshua skids on slicks in the rain and slams into a barrier, triggering an epic explosion. It’s a classic movie spectacle, but in real Formula 1? Fireballs are unicorns. Most crashes are way less dramatic: spins, broken wings, maybe some gravel spray.

Since Ayrton Senna’s tragic 1994 death, F1 has become obsessively safe. Wrecks these days rarely end in flames, and drivers usually walk away unharmed. Yes, Grosjean’s 2020 Bahrain inferno proves it can happen, but it’s a one-in-a-million kind of chaos. Hollywood just likes its crashes hotter, louder, and far less realistic.

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What real-life F1 drivers have said about the film

Most of the Formula One drivers, who have already watched the film in private screenings, have praised its cinematic presence while also subtly hinting at its loose grip on reality. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, who makes quite a few appearances in F1 The Movie along with his ex-teammate Carlos Sainz, told Motorsport.com:

“We are looking at it as Formula 1 drivers, and we always try and see all the small details that are not exactly [accurate], but it’s just very Hollywood-like and I think that’s really cool because it’s not for F1 drivers, it’s for a broader audience."

Sainz, now a part of Williams, shared his sentiments and stated:

“You can tell they’re a bit Hollywood-esque. I truly believe that it will attract a lot of new audiences, and it will do very well for the people that don’t know anything about Formula 1. For the hardcore fan and for journalists, we will see things that might be a bit too American or a bit too Hollywood. But honestly, I enjoyed the whole film.”

Lewis Hamilton, who has now joined Leclerc in Ferrari after his successful era in Mercedes (as shown in F1 The Movie also), also shared his thoughts on being a part of the project. He has backed the film as a producer and has been the consultant throughout the process, offering his insights and information that contributed to the film's realism.

Hamilton also makes multiple appearances in F1: The Movie. As reported by Formula One, he talked about the film and the writing process and reviews around it and said:

“I was nervous to see what all the drivers were going to think, because it was a very, very hard balance to get it to not be just Hollywood, be authentic, but also you still need drama and chaos, underdog and all that kind of stuff in it. Obviously I’m not a writer, but I think the response has been great. In general, it’s been a really positive response, so I’m grateful for that."

He further continued to talk about what fans may feel watching the film, as he added:

“I think fans are going to… I think it’s going to keep you on the edge of your seat. The sound is incredible, the images from the car, the cockpit… we developed with Apple a new camera that’s never been used, so you’re capturing footage and angles that you’ve never seen before. I think when you’re watching the racing, experiencing the racing interactions, you feel like you’re in the car with us. It’s something I’ve always wanted people to feel, but it’s very hard to do it with the camera that’s above us."

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Released on June 27, F1: The Movie is now running in theaters.