Walking out of the IMAX screen on a Saturday evening, only one thought raced through my mind: “I should book a Go-Karting session tomorrow.” Don’t ask me if I actually did — that’s a conversation for another day. What I’m trying to say is: director Joseph Kosinski has delivered an absolute edge-of-the-seat sports drama.

Given Kosinski’s reputation — not that I’m in a position to scale it, but just look at his filmography: Top Gun: Maverick, Tron: Legacy — expectations were naturally sky-high. And with the hyped-up trailer and that trump card of a haptic preview, the anticipation surrounding F1 only intensified.

The best part? The film doesn’t just meet expectations; it surpasses them.

On the surface, it may seem like your usual Hollywood sports drama. In fact, one subplot even mirrors Moneyball, Brad Pitt’s earlier underdog gem about rebuilding the hopeless Oakland Athletics from scratch. Speaking of Brad — or should I say Rusty? — he slips into the age-appropriate role of Sonny Hayes so effortlessly, it’s hard to believe he’s 61. Yeah, 61!

Back to Moneyball. That was a story of revival — and so is F1. Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is brought in to revive a struggling F1 team, APX. We all know how these sports films go — a fair share of ups and downs, and in the end, Sonny is up there on the podium, champagne in hand. Spoiler? Maybe. But with F1, it’s not about the destination — it’s the ride.

And what a ride it is.

Sure, we’ve seen high-octane racing dramas before. But what Claudio Miranda has achieved here with the visuals goes beyond anything F1 fans (or filmmakers) dared to dream. It’s immersive, visceral, and simply breathtaking. Now add Hans Zimmer’s magnetic background score to the mix — and the big-screen experience turns into pure cinematic ecstasy.

The supporting cast — Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris — bring weight and charisma, holding the narrative together. But it’s the cameos from real-life racers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc that steal the show. Their presence bridges fiction and reality in the most exhilarating way.

In the end, F1 achieves exactly what it set out to do — a full-throttle, $300 million promotional vehicle for the sport. And trust me, I’m not exaggerating when I say this: a whole new set of fans walked out of cinemas that day, proudly declaring themselves F1 stans.