Brad Pitt Plays a Racing Maverick in the ‘F1’ Trailer

When we first heard that Joseph Kosinski was making a movie about F1, the key selling point was that he was going to apply the same practical-first approach to racing as he did to aerial footage in Top Gun: Maverick. The latest trailer for the movie (which is simply titled F1) suggests it is borrowing a fair amount of its predecessor’s themes and structure as well.

F1 stars Brad Pitt as, in the words of another character in the trailer, an “old school cowboy” of the racing world; a “lone wolf” who “doesn’t take orders” and “goes his own way.” That sure sounds like Tom Cruise’s Maverick to me. (Here it may be worth noting that F1’s screenwriter, Ehren Kruger, was a credited co-writer on Top Gun: Maverick as well. Jerry Bruckheimer produced both films as well.)

Anyway, Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is brought out of retirement to help mentor a talented young driver (Damson Idris) who needs coaching and guidance. Can the ultimate lone wolf become a team player? I mean, it wouldn’t be much of a movie if he couldn’t. That racing footage does look spectacular either way. Watch the new F1 trailer below:

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Here is F1s official synopsis:

Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career.  Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse.  Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world.  He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace.  But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

F1 is set to open in theaters on June 27. They’re emphasizing the “filmed for IMAX” of it all, and that will likely be the best way to appreciate the visuals and stunts.