Ehren Kruger’s Screenplay Puts the Pedal to the Metal in F1

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“You can have all the spectacle in the world, but if the audience doesn’t care about the people inside the machine, it’s just noise,” says screenwriter Ehren Kruger of F1, embedding a fictional reality into real races, part sports drama, part behind-the-scenes doc, part Hollywood spectacle. It’s not just about racing—it’s about what racing means to those who live it.

The screenplay for F1 was written by Ehren Kruger, a seasoned screenwriter known for Top Gun: Maverick, The Ring, and several of the Transformers films. He teamed up with director Joseph Kosinski to develop the story, blending fictional drama with the visceral intensity of real-world Formula 1 racing.

Kruger’s knack for crafting high-stakes narratives was key to making F1 feel thrilling without straying too far from the sport’s authenticity. With Hamilton, Kosinski, and Bruckheimer all in the mix, it’s a screenplay that marries Hollywood spectacle with a deep respect for racing culture.

Ehren Kruger didn’t just write a racing movie—he reverse-engineered the emotional DNA of real Formula One rivalries and wove it into F1’s dramatic core.

While the film doesn’t directly name-check actual rivalries like Senna vs. Prost or Hamilton vs. Rosberg, Kruger clearly drew from their emotional dynamics: the tension between teammates, the clash of egos, and the pressure of legacy. The relationship between Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) and Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) mirrors that classic formula—mentor vs. rising star, experience vs. raw ambition.

Ehren Kruger was deeply involved in shaping F1 from the ground up. He co-developed the story with director Joseph Kosinski, and his screenplay was crafted in close collaboration with the film’s producers, including Jerry Bruckheimer and Lewis Hamilton.

The film was also made in partnership with Formula 1 and the FIA, meaning Kruger had access to the sport’s inner workings. That collaboration helped him write scenes that reflect the real pressures, rivalries, and politics of the paddock. From the technical jargon to the emotional arcs, his script was designed to feel authentic to both die-hard fans and newcomers.

Ehren Kruger’s experience on Top Gun: Maverick had a clear influence on how he approached F1. Both films share a love for high-speed spectacle grounded in character-driven storytelling. In fact, Kruger and Kosinski spent nearly a year developing F1’s story, much like they did with Maverick, to ensure it wasn’t just about the adrenaline—it was about the people behind the helmets.

One of the biggest throughlines is how Kruger builds mentor-protégé dynamics. In Maverick, it was Maverick and Rooster; in F1, it’s Sonny Hayes and Joshua Pearce. Both relationships are emotionally charged, shaped by legacy, loss, and redemption.

Kruger also brought his knack for tight pacing and immersive tension. Just like Maverick made you feel like you were in the cockpit of a fighter jet, F1 puts you in the driver’s seat—thanks to a script that balances technical jargon with emotional stakes.

Kruger also leaned into the cutthroat nature of intra-team politics, a hallmark of F1 history. The fictional APXGP team faces internal friction, strategic disagreements, and media scrutiny—echoing real-world dramas like Vettel vs. Webber or Alonso vs. Hamilton.

And by embedding the fictional team into real races with actual drivers like Verstappen, Leclerc, and Norris appearing as themselves, Kruger blurred the line between fiction and reality. It’s not just inspired by rivalries—it’s staged alongside them.

Ehren Kruger’s screenplay for F1 follows a classic three-act structure, but it’s turbocharged with the emotional and technical stakes of Formula 1

Act I – The Comeback Call – We meet Sonny Hayes, a retired F1 driver haunted by a career-ending crash. He’s pulled back into the sport by his old friend Ruben Cervantes to mentor rookie Joshua Pearce. This act sets up the emotional baggage, introduces the APXGP team, and hints at the internal and external rivalries to come.

Act II – The Pressure Cooker – This is where the drama accelerates. Sonny and Joshua clash—on and off the track. The team faces setbacks, media scrutiny, and internal politics. Kruger uses this act to explore themes of legacy, mentorship, and the brutal pace of modern F1. It’s also where the film’s most intense race sequences unfold, blending real Grand Prix footage with fictional drama.

Act III – Redemption and Resolve – The final act delivers the emotional payoff. Sonny must confront his past and decide whether he’s racing for redemption or something more. Joshua, meanwhile, learns what it truly means to be a champion. Their arcs converge in a climactic race that’s as much about heart as horsepower. Kruger’s structure mirrors the rhythm of a Grand Prix weekend: build-up, chaos, and resolution. Want to dive into how the film uses pit stops and team radio as storytelling tools? There’s some clever screenwriting under the hood.

Kruger’s use of pit stops and team radio in F1 isn’t just for realism—it’s smart storytelling.

In the film, pit stops aren’t just mechanical pauses—they’re emotional pressure cookers. One key scene shows Sonny Hayes making a risky call to stay out longer, echoing real-life gambles like Hamilton’s infamous Turkey GP tire call. These moments heighten tension and reveal character under stress.

Kruger uses radio chatter to expose the drivers’ mindset mid-race. Instead of exposition-heavy dialogue, we hear raw, clipped exchanges: frustration, doubt, strategy. It’s a window into the psyche of Sonny and Joshua, and it mirrors how real F1 fans piece together a race’s drama through radio snippets.

Hans Zimmer’s score often fades beneath the roar of engines and the crackle of radio, letting the audience feel the chaos and urgency. It’s immersive, but also symbolic—drivers are isolated, relying on voices in their ear to guide them.

In one pivotal scene, Sonny ignores a team order. The silence on the radio afterward speaks louder than words. It’s a nod to real-world moments when drivers defy strategy—think Vettel’s “Multi 21” or Rosberg’s Monaco qualifying incident.

Kruger turns these technical elements into emotional beats.

The film’s press conferences and media scenes are more than just window dressing—they’re pressure chambers where reputations are made or shattered.

Kruger uses these moments to mirror the real-world scrutiny F1 drivers face. In one standout scene, Sonny Hayes is grilled by journalists about his comeback, and the tension is palpable—not just from the questions, but from the silence between them. It echoes real-life moments like Vettel’s terse exchanges or Hamilton’s philosophical responses under fire.

The fictional APXGP team also faces a media storm after a controversial team order. Kruger scripts the press room like a chessboard: every answer is a move, every pause a tell. It’s not just about what’s said—it’s about what’s withheld.

And just like in real F1, the media becomes a character of its own—shaping narratives, fueling rivalries, and adding stakes beyond the track. The film even includes subtle nods to Drive to Survive-style editing, with off-camera whispers and cutaway glances that hint at deeper tensions.

F1 stands out in the motor racing film genre by blending real-world Formula 1 access with cinematic storytelling in a way few others have achieved

Here’s how it stacks up against some of the greats:

  • Compared to Rush (2013): Ron Howard’s Rush is often hailed as the gold standard for F1 films, dramatizing the Hunt–Lauda rivalry with emotional depth and period authenticity. F1, by contrast, is set in the present and integrates real F1 races, teams, and drivers, giving it a documentary-like immediacy that Rush couldn’t replicate.
  • Versus Senna (2010): Senna is a powerful documentary built entirely from archival footage. It’s intimate, raw, and deeply emotional. F1 doesn’t aim for that level of introspection, but it does channel Senna’s spirit through its focus on legacy, pressure, and purpose—especially in Sonny Hayes’ comeback arc.
  • Compared to Grand Prix (1966): That film was revolutionary for its time, using real race footage and split-screen editing. F1 takes that ambition further with custom-built F2 cars, cutting-edge cameras, and real Grand Prix weekends as its backdrop. It’s like Grand Prix with a 21st-century engine.
  • Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a Netflix docuseries that pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes world of F1 racing. It debuted in 2019 and has released seven seasons as of 2025. Each season covers a full F1 calendar year, offering behind-the-scenes access to drivers, team principals, and the drama that unfolds both on and off the track. The F1 film is poised to make a different kind of impact than Drive to Survive—and possibly a bigger one. While Drive to Survive brought millions of new fans to Formula 1 through its binge-worthy, behind-the-scenes drama, the F1 movie aims to reach audiences who might never watch a docuseries.