F1 Director Joseph Kosinski Was Inspired By Netflix’s Drive To Survive

Warner Bros

Evidently, Joseph Kosinski’s need for speed couldn’t be sated by directing “Top Gun: Maverick.” For his follow-up to the $1.5 billion grossing box office juggernaut of 2022, Kosinski has opted to get behind the wheel of “F1,” a mega-budget, presumed blockbuster starring Brad Pitt as a veteran Formula One racer who comes out of retirement to mentor a promising young racer played by Damson Idris. In addition to assembling a top-flight supporting cast that includes Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, and Shea Whiggham, Kosinski also shot the film all over the world at some of the top events in the motorsport. Perhaps most importantly, particularly for followers of F1, he secured the involvement of top drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas (who’s affectionately known as Terry Boatass by American fans).

While Formula One has seen a surge in popularity in the United States over the last decade, it’s probably fair to say that the vast majority of Americans have no idea what, aside from the look of the cars, distinguishes it from NASCAR or IndyCar racing. F1 cars certainly go faster than NASCAR (Boatass holds the circuit record at 234.9 mph) and come in a tad slower than IndyCar (where vehicles have been clocked at over 250 mph), while F1 tracks require greater precision across the board.

Selling non-fans on F1 can be difficult, which could be a source of worry for Kosinski and company as they near their film’s June 25, 2025 release date. There typically aren’t a load of lead changes, and not a lot of wheel-to-wheel driving. This leads to people claiming that F1 is boring. If you watch the races in, say, a NASCAR framework, they do seem less dramatic. But there’s so much more going on in F1, and Kosinski has pointed to an entertaining Netflix series that might turn a casual sports fan into an F1 fanatic.

Joseph Kosinski binged Drive to Survive

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/Film’s Ben Pearson recently attended an “F1” trailer preview event where Kosinski answered questions about the making of the film, revealing what viewers can expect from his speed-demon drama. (You can check out that “F1” trailer for yourself here.) When it came to his inspiration for “F1,” he cited the Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive,” which he binged during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to Kosinski:

“[I] found that it’s an incredibly unique sport in that your teammate is also, in many ways, your greatest competition. And for me, that makes for a great drama. I also loved how the first season of the show focused on the last place teams, the underdogs, rather than the Ferrari, the Mercedes, the Red Bull, the teams that you see at the front of the pack. And I thought that there was an interesting story to be told about an underdog team in trying to not win the championship, but just trying to win one race against these titans of the sport. So that’s where it started. And lucky for me, I had a contact who was in Formula One that I could reach out to, so I did.”

So, “F1” won’t be about winning the whole shebang, but, rather, a scrappy team taking one race from the big guys. With few exceptions, the best sports movies are about underdogs triumphing over seemingly unbeatable champions, so it’s wise for Kosinski to use this tried-and-true, er, formula. Still, while you’re waiting for “F1” to roar into theaters, you should check out “Drive to Survive,” and see if this type of racing is for you. If it is, I guarantee you’ll be glued to multiple Grands Prix before the movie comes out.

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