One of 2025’s very best movies could be getting sequel after box office success

This is a follow-up we would welcome.

For those unaware, F1 stars Oscar-winner Brad Pitt (in a typically commanding performance) as Sonny Hayes. He is a man who, like the main character of director Joseph Kosinski's previous film Top Gun: Maverick, has a "need for speed".

In the '90s, Hayes was a rising star in Formula 1 who raced against the best, including Ayrton Senna.

A devastating crash, however, caused him to leave F1 behind for good, with him now living nomadically as a racer-for-hire.

After winning the 24 Hours of Daytona - in a thrilling sequence set to Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' - Hayes is approached by his former Formula 1 teammate Ruben Cervantes (Oscar-winner Javier Bardem), who now owns the struggling APXGP (pronounced Apex GP) F1 Team.

Needing a Grand Prix win or else his investors (including Tobias Menzies) will sell the team, Cervantes offers Hayes a racing slot on APXGP opposite ambitious British rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris, in a star-making turn).

At first, Hayes' experiences with his new racing team go poorly, with the veteran unused to modern F1 machinery. All the while, the arrogant Pearce views him as a rival.

Can Hayes, Pearce, Cervantes, Pearce and APXGP's technical director Kate McKenna (Oscar-nominee Kerry Condon, radiant) turn their fortunes around?

We here at JOE are huge fans of F1. Like Kosinski's previous blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, his latest does not reinvent the wheel. It hits all the best beats of the sports movie formula (the behind-the-scenes drama, the rivals learning the importance of teamwork) with such energy, enthusiasm and charm that it is nearly impossible not to be won over by the film.

It helps, too, that it boasts phenomenal racing sequences. These were accomplished by splicing footage of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris really driving F2 cars, made to look like F1 cars, with footage captured from real F1 races.

The end result: some of the most authentic, visceral racing scenes we've ever seen, which immerse audiences in the action like never before.

F1 should also appeal to both Formula One fans and non-Formula One fans alike. The movie does a great job explaining the rules of the sport to viewers less knowledgeable, while also being rich with details that lovers of the game will appreciate.

The action flick seems to be a box office hit, having already grossed nearly $300 million.

And now, Variety - citing "knowledgeable sources" - reports that the "gears are turning" on a potential sequel.

Whether this will be a more straightforward follow-up or Kosinski's suggestion of a crossover with Tom Cruise's cult NASCAR film, Days of Thunder, remains to be seen.

F1 is now in cinemas.