F1 The Movie took a victory lap on Sunday evening at the 98th Academy Awards, with the Hollywood epic winning an Oscar for Best Sound as the film cemented its place as one of motorsport’s most successful cinematic ventures.
The movie’s triumph in one of the Academy’s most immersive categories proved that when it comes to capturing the raw intensity of racing, it’s in a league of its own.
The film’s sound team – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta – beat out a strong field of contenders to secure the Oscar, delivering a win that felt fitting for a project built on sensory realism.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by heavyweights including Jerry Bruckheimer, Brad Pitt and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the film thrust audiences directly into the cockpit.
Its story followed fictional veteran Sonny Hayes, played by Pitt, making a dramatic return to Formula 1 alongside rising talent Joshua Pearce.
What truly set the production apart was its commitment to authenticity – filming during real race weekends and seamlessly embedding its fictional APXGP team into the real-world F1 paddock.
A blockbuster that keeps accelerating
While the film missed out awards for editing and visual effects, its impact has been anything but diminished.
The movie has already smashed expectations at the global box office, grossing close to $650 million worldwide and becoming the most successful motorsport film ever made, as well as the biggest hit of Pitt’s career.
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And the journey may not be over.
Hamilton revealed that momentum is already building behind a sequel.
“We are already working on the first script,” he said, confirming early discussions with Kosinski and Bruckheimer.
“We had our first meeting at the end of the year – me, Jerry and Joe – talking about different ideas, different directions that we could go with the script, and then with Ehren [Kruger, the film’s screenwriter], we’ve had plenty of meetings on it.”
The film’s cultural ripple effect continues to grow, too.
“It’s been amazing to see how big an impact it’s had, how many people have loved the movie,” Hamilton added.
“I’m still getting texts from people who are only just watching the movie and how it’s opened their eyes up to what this sport is about.”
From the roar of hybrid engines to the glamour of Hollywood, F1 The Movie has proven it can win over both racing fans and the Academy – and perhaps, this is only the beginning of its story.
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