Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the scripts behind the awards season’s most talked-about movies continues with Apple Original Films and Warner Bros‘ F1, directed by Joseph Kosinski from a script by Kosinski and Ehren Kruger. Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon star.
The pic has been taking a victory lap since its June 27 release in U.S. theaters, grossing $631.1 million at the global box office to date — the most ever for a sports movie and the biggest box office jackpot of Pitt’s career. It has been named a Top 10 film by the National Board of Review and has seven Critics Choice Awards nominations among the early accolades
The high-octane narrative is fundamentally a story of redemption set against the electrifying backdrop of Formula 1 racing. The script transcends a simple sports drama to delve into the human themes of rivalry, partnership, and reclaiming a lost legacy.
The film centers on Sonny Hayes (Pitt), a once-promising star from the 1990s who earned the sad nickname “the greatest that never was” after an accident cut his career short. Three decades later, Sonny is a wandering racer. His former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), who owns a struggling F1 team, convinces him to make one last comeback. The initial tension sets the stage for Sonny to try and save the team and return to being the best.
Sonny’s unexpected return forces him into a close partnership with the team’s current star, rookie Joshua Pearce (Idris). This dynamic duo forms the emotional and competitive heart of the story as they race during real Grand Prix weekends. However, as competition intensifies, Sonny’s past soon reemerges, proving that his path to redemption will be difficult and filled with obstacles.
The main theme of the script is redemption and the chance for a second chance. Sonny’s journey revolves around the opportunity to erase years of failure and injury. His comeback shows that it is never too late to confront past trauma and reach for a lifelong dream.
This personal quest for redemption is complicated by a generational divide and mentorship theme. The pairing of Sonny and Joshua creates a fascinating clash between seasoned experience and youthful ambition. This relationship explores what legacy really means: is it built by mentoring the next generation, or by competing with them?
The script also emphasizes a key aspect of the film’s conflict: the dual nature of competition and partnership. The teammates must work together for the team’s success, yet they are also rivals for personal glory. This is captured by the statement that summarizes the script’s central theme: your teammate is your fiercest competition — and the road to redemption isn’t one you can travel alone. This internal struggle raises the stakes, pushing Sonny to balance the need for teamwork with his strong desire for personal achievement.
In the end, the film is a high-speed drama where the urgent professional stakes of saving a team and defeating the world’s best blend with a personal journey of overcoming the past for one last chance at glory.
Read the screenplay below.
