Color me skeptical. When I first heard about Apple’s foray into Formula 1 filmmaking, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Another big-budget brand-building exercise, I thought. But then the teaser trailer dropped, and suddenly, I’m sweating. It looks… good?
This is not the cheesy, over-the-top racing flick I was expecting. Instead, we’ve got Brad Pitt, looking grizzled and determined, playing a veteran driver lured back from retirement. He’s paired with rising star Damson Idris, who’s got that rookie hunger burning in his eyes. The trailer’s final scene, a whirlwind of high-octane racing and tense close-ups, is enough to make any gearhead’s heart race. It screams IMAX experience, and I’m starting to think I might actually need to see it on the biggest screen possible.
But hold your horses, there’s still plenty of time for this to crash and burn. Can you really pull off an underdog story in the glitzy, high-tech world of F1? Where even the smallest team is swimming in millions and every car is meticulously engineered to perfection? It seems like a tough sell.
Yet, a glimmer of hope remains. The trailer features a glorious reaction shot of none other than Guenther Steiner, the ex-Haas F1 team principal and walking meme generator. If they can capture even a fraction of his chaotic energy, this movie might just have a shot at being something special.
Call me cautiously optimistic, but I’m starting to think Apple might actually pull this off. Against all odds, they may have created an F1 movie that’s not just watchable, but genuinely thrilling. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a helmet to wear while I rewatch that trailer.