F1: The Movie

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film opens as racer Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) competing in the 24 Hours at Daytona competition under Chip Hart (Shea Whigham). Sonny puts on an impressive racing display and helps Chip’s team win the competition. Sonny is getting ready to leave in his van until Chip comes to offer him a full-time spot on the team. Sonny declines but thanks Chip for the opportunity before heading back out.

Sonny was a former racer who could have made it big for the Lotus team until a nasty crash at the Spanish Grand Prix derailed his career. He ended up becoming a gambling addict with three failed marriages under his belt, and he lives in his van while traveling from place to place. Sonny is at a laundromat when he is approached by old friend and former fellow racer Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). He owns the APXGP Formula 1 team and is in danger of potentially losing the team. Ruben offers Sonny a spot on the team alongside their rookie driver, as they need at least one Grand Prix win. While Sonny is not initially interested, he agrees to join out of loyalty to Ruben.

Sonny goes to the Silverstone Circuit in London to meet the rest of the team. There is technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), team principal Kaspar Smolinski (Kim Bodnia), chief mechanic Dodge Dowda (Abdul Salis), and hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Joshua speaks with his cousin and manager Cash (Samson Kayo), who fears that he will lose his job if Ruben loses the team. He also dismisses Sonny as being too old, while Sonny thinks Joshua is too cocky. Sonny goes for a test drive in a car with modern F1 tech that he is not as familiar with. He appears to fall behind the qualifications until he pushes the limit and ends up crashing. While Sonny points out some flaws in the car, Kaspar thinks he is good enough to be on the team.

APXGP prepares for the British Grand Prix. Joshua goes with Cash and his mother Bernadette (Sarah Niles). During a press conference, a reporter presses Sonny with invasive questions about his personal struggles before the meeting is cut short.

Before the first major race, Sonny experiences an issue when his car stalls before he gets to the starting line. During the race, APXGP encounters setbacks as the pit crew takes too long to get the cars back out onto the track, resulting in the team falling way behind despite a promising start. Joshua lashes out at one pit crew member, Jodie (Callie Cooke), but while Sonny defends her, she later asks him not to do that. Sonny also asks Ruben about Kate, though he doesn’t want Sonny to try anything with her.

Sonny later approaches Kate personally and invites her out for a beer to discuss having her craft a car that is built for combat in order for him to better maneuver the tracks. However, Kate thinks Sonny is a hothead who only plays for himself and not for a team. Meanwhile, at home, Joshua observes Sonny’s style of racing and watches a video of his fateful crash.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sonny holds everyone up at the pit stop because he wants specific tires on his car, which keeps them stuck until Kaspar relents. Sonny crashes his car to exploit F1 rules and have safety cars come in so they can get a leg up. This allows APXGP to get their first big win. Kate then starts to see the potential in Sonny and starts to make plans for his requested car.

During the Italian Grand Prix, APXGP is doing well in the race until Joshua tries to overtake Max Verstappen, ignoring Sonny’s advice about waiting for the right opportunity. He crashes into a barrier and his car bursts into flames, but Sonny pulls Joshua out of the wreckage before things get worse. At the hospital, Bernadette chews Sonny out for what happened to Joshua, believing it was his advice that caused the accident.

While Joshua recovers, Sonny takes to promoting the team and he starts doing better in the subsequent races. Joshua returns for the Belgian Grand Prix, but he goes too hard and collides with Sonny. This leads to another rift between the two, until later that night when Kate arranges for them (or rather, tricks them) into meeting for a poker game at a club. Despite the back-and-forth trash talk, Joshua wins and is given preferred treatment for the remaining races. Sonny shows Kate that he actually let Joshua win. The two later go back to her place and sleep together.

Ruben goes to find Sonny and Kate to tell them that somebody has made an anonymous complaint regarding the materials Kate used for Sonny’s vehicle. The FIA demands that the upgrades be removed, which the team knows will doom them. During the next race, Sonny, overcome with anger over the situation, gets into a crash while going against Sergio Perez. He ends up in the hospital, and Ruben goes to visit him in the hospital. He is angry that Sonny never disclosed to him just how severe his injuries at the Spanish Grand Prix were, and he dismisses Sonny out of concern.

Sonny is later approached by APXGP board member Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), who was the one that forged the documents complaining about the team’s upgrades. Peter wants to get rid of Ruben and sell APXGP, and he gives Sonny an offer to be part of his team moving forward. Meanwhile, Joshua talks to his mother about his injuries, saying it wasn’t Sonny’s fault that he got injured, but rather his own for his recklessness. He promises to be more responsible.

It is the day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of the season. Sonny rejects Peter’s offer by sending him a middle finger emoji, and he remains loyal to Ruben, who agrees to let him race. The FIA also lets Kate off the hook. During the race, Joshua makes it as far as he can with worn tires, but he gets taken over by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Sonny ends up colliding with George Russell, but both Sonny and Joshua are able to make it out of the pit stop with fresh tires. Sonny gives up his chance for a win to let Joshua take it, but Joshua ends up crashing with Hamilton, leaving Sony a new chance to take it. Despite his vision starting to go blurry, Sonny ends up crossing the finish line. Everyone cheers for APXGP’s victory, as the team no longer has to be sold. Joshua is offered a spot to race for Mercedes, but he chooses to stay where he is.

Sonny decides to retire from F1. Before leaving, Sonny and Kate promise to see each other again, and they kiss. Joshua catches Sonny before he leaves, and they part amicably.

Sonny later goes down to Mexico to compete in the Baja 1000 pro bono. When the race coordinators say that there is not a lot of money involved, Sonny tells them it’s not about the money for him.

Aging racer Sonny Hayes once had a shot at being one of the greats until a fateful crash at the Spanish Grand Prix halted his career. While he still races, he doesn't stick with one team and lives nomadically. Sonny is approached by his friend and fellow former racer Ruben Cervantes, who wants Sonny to race for his Formula One team, APXGP, which is in danger of being sold. Although reluctant, Sonny agrees and meets his co-racer, young hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce. Sonny also starts a relationship with the team's tech director Kate McKenna, who helps him design a car made for combat.

Sonny and Joshua butt heads but later come to understand one another and they start to get along. Both racers encounter naysayers and incidents during the races, but they overcome these obstacles. The team hits a hurdle when one board member, Peter Banning, makes a forged claim against the team's vehicular upgrades as a way to quickly sell the team off and fire Ruben, while also offering Sonny a part on his new team. Sonny declines out of loyalty to Ruben, who lets him compete in the final race despite thinking Sonny was too heavily impacted from his injuries to continue.

Joshua nearly wins the last race until he collides with another racer, allowing Sonny to take the victory and save APXGP from being sold. Joshua gets an offer to race for another team, but he stays with APXGP. Sonny retires from F1 and parts with both Joshua and Kate before going to Mexico to race in the Baja 1000.