How to watch F1 – is it streaming?

When the Oscars nominations were announced last Thursday (22nd January), there were plenty films no one was surprised to find in the best picture line-up – among them Sinners, One Battle After Another and Hamnet.

But one movie that did raise a few eyebrows for its inclusion was F1 – the Brad Pitt-starring sports drama from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, which has prompted some debate about whether it is truly worthy of best picture consideration.

The film was made with the full co-operation of governing body the FIA and filmed on location during several major grand prix, while several high-profile figures in the sport were brought on as advisors, with Lewis Hamilton serving as a producer and reportedly even scaring Pitt "half to death" after taking him out for a test drive.

Naturally, all this access gives the film a certain degree of authenticity, and indeed the racing scenes in particular have won acclaim – our own RadioTimes.com review comments that "F1 will blow your mind when it comes to the stunning racetrack footage".

However, other aspects of the film have been criticised as "two-dimensional", and F1 had not been expected by too many pundits to be a major contender in the awards race.

Interested in seeing for yourself whether the best picture nod was deserved? Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch F1.

How to watch F1 in the UK – is it streaming?

Yes! The film was an Apple Original and so – no surprise – it is streaming on Apple TV, meaning all subscribers to that platform can watch the film at no extra cost right now.

If you're not an Apple TV subscriber but fancy watching it, you needn't panic: it's also available to purchase from a number of Premium Video on Demand streaming platforms including Prime Video, Sky Store and YouTube, with prices starting from £13.99 at time of writing.

F1 was originally released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 25th June 2025.

What is F1 about?

As the title suggests, the film takes place against the backdrop of Formula One – with the plot following the bond that forms between hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce and old timer Sonny Hayes, the latter of whom is drafted in to race alongside the former as part of fictional racing team APXGP.

Sonny had been the sport's most promising driver in the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career, and so his comeback is a major underdog story – as he looks for redemption thirty years on from having his future snatched away from him.

F1 cast: who stars alongside Brad Pitt?

While Brad Pitt is the headline star, he's far from the only big name in the cast. Other actors with key roles include Damson Idris, who plays new racer on the scene Joshua Pearce, while Kerry Condon plays technical director and Sonny's love interest Kate McKenna.

Meanwhile, Oscar-winner Javier Bardem takes on the role of Sonny's long-time friend Rubén Cervantes, who is now the owner of fictional F1 team APXGP while there are also roles for Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia, among others.

And it's not just actors: plenty of the biggest names in motorsport – including both racers and media figures – briefly appear in an attempt to give the film a greater degree of authenticity, with Lewis Hamilton (who also serves as a producer), Lando Norris and Max Verstappen among the most prominent stars to appear.

Check out the full cast below – not including all those many, many figures from the world of F1 who appear in cameo.

• Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes
• Damson Idris as Joshua Pearce
• Kerry Condon as Kate McKenna
• Javier Bardem as Rubén Cervantes
• Tobias Menzies as Peter Banning
• Kim Bodnia as Kaspar Smolinski
• Sarah Niles as Bernadette Pearce
• Will Merrick as Hugh Nickleby
• Joseph Balderrama as Rico Fazio
• Abdul Salis as Dodge Dauda
• Callie Cooke as Jodie
• Samson Kayo as Cashman
• Simon Kunz as Don Cavendish
• Liz Kingsman as Lisbeth Bampton
• Luciano Bacheta as Luca Cortez
• Shea Whigham as Chip Hart
• Kyle Rankin as Cale Kelso

F1 trailer

If you're still on the fence about whether this is one worth catching up on before the Oscars in March, the trailer below might convince you one way or the other:

Bugonia is now available to watch in UK cinemas.

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