F1: Top Gun, But With Formula 1 Cars!

I'm not a car racing fan, but I still enjoyed this summer movie.  Director Joseph Kosinski also directed "Top Gun: Maverick."  The film is very similar in plot, but it's not as good.  ("Maverick," however, set a very high bar!)  Sonny Hayes (Brad) is an aging race car driver, but he still loves to drive.  Thirty years ago, he was a star on the rise!  Unfortunately, he had a horrific accident in a Formula 1 race, and his F1 racing career ended.  He still has PTSD from the accident.  Sonny is still driving because he loves to race, but usually not in prominent races with big purses.  He is almost broke, and has no romantic relationship. A former racing rival, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), is in dire straits.  He is the owner of a racing team (AXPGP) which hasn't won a point this year on the Formula 1 racing circuit.  Ruben will lose ownership of the team if he doesn't win one of the remaining 9 races.  The #2 driver is out, and the #1 driver is a very talented rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who lacks the experience and savvy to win a race.  Joshua (aka JP) is also cocky, arrogant, and is mainly interested in improving his marketing status rather than winning.  Ruben needs Sonny as the #2 driver to provide wisdom and experience to JP, so JP has a chance to win a race.  Further decreasing the odds of winning a race, however, is the fact that the team's Technical Director, Kate (Kerry Condon), although brilliant, doesn't have sufficient experience designing cars.  The team car has serious technical flaws which she can't seem to correct.  (She is, however, very attractive and age appropriate for Sonny.)  Sonny agrees to drive for Ruben.  JP doesn't like Ruben's pick, and Sonny and JP have significant conflict.  Sonny gives Kate some advice on how to design a better car. The movie is formulaic and predictable, but the racing scenes are excellent and the score is terrific, too.  Brad and the rest of the cast do a fine job.  The movie needs to be seen on the B.S., or it will lose its excitement. Bottom Line: "F1" "spins its wheels" at times, but still crosses the finish line a winner!