10 Best Racing Movies To Watch If You Like Brad Pitt's F1

One of the biggest hits during the summer of 2025 was “F1,” starring and produced by Brad Pitt, which dominated the box office upon its theatrical release. Set in the high-octane world of Formula One racing, the movie is supercharged by high-speed racing scenes lauded for their realism. Balancing the visually stunning driving sequences is the human element between the races, brought to life by Pitt and an impressive ensemble cast. And for audiences dazzled by the spectacle of “F1” looking for another movie to keep the high velocity thrills going, there are plenty of great racing movies to choose from.

There have been fantastic racing movies covering multiple aspects of auto sports for decades, often placing viewers right in the drivers’ seats. These movies can range from realistic sports films like “F1” over films that veer into fantasy, comedy, or more overt action. But at their core, all of these movies are a celebration of auto sports and the unrelenting need for speed that drives their respective characters. Here are the 10 best racing movies to watch if you like Brad Pitt’s “F1.”

While racing movies existed before “Grand Prix,” the 1966 movie set a bar of quality against which all subsequent genre movies would be judged. Featuring an all-star international cast and filmed in 70mm, format previously used to capture sweeping landscapes and sprawling battles, the movie was a particularly ambitious effort. The movie follows four racers from around the world competing across the 1966 Formula One, culminating in a showdown at the Italian Grand Prix. Leading the cast is James Garner, playing racer Pete Aron, who is concerned if he will leave up to his late brother’s legacy in the sport.

“Grand Prix” is the first movie of its kind that puts the camera right onto the speeding cars and transports the audience into the thick of its races. The story feels especially secondary to the proceedings, but Garner’s easygoing charm carries a lot of the movie outside of its competitions. What director John Frankenheimer brings to the project is an immaculate sense of style and European cool, taking advantage of the movie’s racetracks and impressive ensemble cast. Inventively filmed, with racing sequences that still hold up decades later, “Grand Prix” remains the ultimate racing movie classic standing the test of time.

Many of Steve McQueen’s best movies showcased his love of motorsports, doing many of his own driving stunts in cars and on motorcycles. A passion project of McQueen’s for years of troubled development was “Le Mans,” a racing movie actually filmed at the titular French 24-hour racing competition in 1970. In addition to producing the project, McQueen stars as racer Michael Delaney who competes for the Gulf Porsche team at the event. Across the lengthy race, the team’s personal hang-ups and the dangers of the sport weigh heavily on them as Delaney leads his team to victory.

“Le Mans” is one of the driest sports movies of all time, really intended for diehard motorsport enthusiasts rather than those looking for McQueen’s usual coolly delivered performances. This is a movie that makes the viewer feel the immense length of the competition, offering few breaks from the automotive action dominating its runtime. There is approximately a 45-minute stretch without major dialogue and most of the scenes in between racing have a noticeably muted quality to them. “Le Mans” understands that its core audience, like McQueen, are here for the racing sequences, with these scenes the real marquee star of the movie.

Popular musicians James Taylor and Dennis Wilson took on very different roles from their respective public images to star in the 1971 movie “Two-Lane Blacktop.” A sort of street car racing companion piece to “Easy Rider,” Taylor and Wilson play a nameless driver and mechanic, respectively. Living on the road and subsisting off their earnings from informal races against the locals they encounter, the duo challenge a rival driver (Warren Oates) to a cross-country race. The two’s dynamic is strained by a hitchhiker (Laurie Bird) they pick up, instilling deep tension and jealousy between the three men.

There is a minimalist quality to “Two-Lane Blacktop,” a stripped-down, naturalistic movie that doesn’t bother to even name its main characters. More abstractly existential than “Easy Rider,” the movie is a meditation to the solitude and loneliness of life on the open road. Taylor and Wilson both do fine jobs in rare acting roles from both musicians, but the real star is the movie’s sweeping depiction of the landscapes they drive through. Definitely the quietest racing movie on this list, “Two-Lane Blacktop” is an unassuming movie that practically feels like an art project at times.

After capturing the aerial need for speed in “Top Gun,” filmmaker Tony Scott and star Tom Cruise reunited for a more down-to-earth project with 1990’s “Days of Thunder.” The real-life inspiration behind the movie was NASCAR driver Tim Richmond, who served as the basis for Cruise’s character Cole Trickle. The movie has hotshot race car driver Trickle set out to make waves within the world of NASCAR, gaining friends and bitter rivals in the process. Along the way, he strikes up a romance with local neurosurgeon Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman) as he prepares for the upcoming Daytona 500.

While “Days of Thunder” might just miss out on being ranked among Tony Scott’s best movies, it has plenty of charm and high-speed thrills to keep audiences riveted. Cruise is very much in his “Top Gun” element, cocky and headstrong, but with plenty of likable charisma to burn. Surrounding Cruise is an effective ensemble cast led by Kidman and Robert Duvall, who each play well off of Cruise in their own ways. A terrific bit of escapist fun, “Days of Thunder” delivers the popcorn-friendly spectacle in full as long as one doesn’t think too hard about it.

While some would argue “Cars 3” is the best movie in Pixar’s “Cars” franchise, we’ve got to go with the 2006 original movie for this one. The animated movie introduces Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a hotshot sentient race car who is cocky as he is talented on the track. While driving to a big race in Los Angeles, McQueen visits the small forgotten town of Radiator Springs where he is sentenced to community service for his reckless behavior. As McQueen carries out his sentence, he learns to slow down and appreciate life outside of racing, while gaining some tips to bring to the track.

“Cars” might not be as universally acclaimed as some of Pixar’s other properties, but it certainly has a strong fanbase and mostly solid line of movies. A lot of that charm is visible in the first movie, with an all-star voice cast elevating the formulaic narrative setup. While “Cars 3” might mature the proceedings to great effect, there’s something to be said of the innocent fun in its 2006 predecessor. A feel-good film that breathes new life into a classic storytelling formula, “Cars” is still very much a good time at the movies.

After cementing themselves as America’s contemporary kings of comedy with 2004’s “Anchorman,” filmmaker Adam McKay and star Will Ferrell reunited for 2006’s “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Ferrell played the titular NASCAR driver, the reigning champion of the sport, but hopelessly arrogant from his vaunted status. After Ricky is outshone by the obnoxious French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), he suffers a mental breakdown on the track. This leads Ricky to reconnect with his estranged father Reese (Gary Cole) as he reclaims his racing mojo for a rematch against Girard.

“Talladega Nights” is one of those satirical pieces that feels so spot on that some of the gags feel truer to life than one might care to admit. The humor is pitch-perfect while still capturing the high-octane world of NASCAR and its impact on rural regions, like Ricky’s home state North Carolina. Ferrell and McKay manage to catch lightning in a bottle twice in a row, with the sports comedy easily one of the best Will Ferrell movies. Still the racing sports comedy to be beat, “Talladega Nights” is endlessly quotable and a hilarious showcase for Ferrell and the supporting cast.

Adapting the beloved racing anime “Speed Racer” for a live-action American movie seemed impossible and its initial reception was decidedly mixed. But the 2008 movie written, directed, and produced by the Wachowskis captures the spirit of the show and is still the best Hollywood anime adaptation around. Like the source material, the movie follows young race car driver Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) who follows in his brother’s footsteps to race in the grand prix that apparently killed him. Teaming up with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), Speed not only faces stiff competition but outmaneuvers corporate attempts to rig the game.

Despite the lukewarm critical and commercial reception upon its theatrical release, “Speed Racer” is a flop its creators still stand by and should. The movie captures the unapologetically goofy spirit of the anime and features some of the most visually stunning racing sequences on film. Guiding audiences through this sensory overload is a strong ensemble cast led by Hirsch, earnest and bright-eyed as the impressionable Speed. Finding its fandom after its theatrical run, “Speed Racer” is the kind of cult classic that deserves a wider reappraisal.

One of the most celebrated drivers in Formula One history is Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, who died on the track at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The life and times of the late driver are chronicled in the 2010 British documentary film “Senna,” tracing his 1984 Formula One debut to his death a decade later. In contrast to many sports documentaries, the movie eschews the usual narrated commentary or retrospective interviews, instead relying heavily on archival footage and contemporary news coverage. Amidst Senna’s rise in the sport, the movie depicts his rivalries and friendships, culminating in the fateful 1994 race that changed Formula One forever.

A documentary with a first place story, “Senna” is an engrossing watch, even for those not familiar with its subject or sport. Knowing Senna’s eventual fate makes the movie all the more heartbreaking, showing the abrupt end of such a celebrated figure in the history of professional racing. And the wealth of archival footage incorporated into the documentary makes for a thrilling experience, highlighting the authentic rigors that the individuals in the documentary face. One of the best sports documentaries ever made, “Senna” is a must-watch for anyone remotely interested in the world of Formula One.

The rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) is explored in the 2013 sports movie “Rush.” Directed and produced by Ron Howard, the movie centers on the 1976 Formula One season, with both Hunt and Lauda pushing each other to their absolute limits. This culminates in Lauda crashing during that season’s German Grand Prix, enduring horrific burns from the accident. Despite this, Lauda insists on resuming his racing career after only several months, leading to a rematch between both men at the climactic Japanese Grand Prix.

Beautifully staged, Howard directs the competitions throughout “Rush” with frenetic aplomb, creating some of the most underrated modern racing scenes of all time. With his effortless swagger giving way to single-minded commitment, Hemsworth delivers a standout performance in what is one of his best movies to date. But the real star is Brühl, finding humanity in the obsessive and antisocial Lauda, overcoming tragedy to remain in the sport he’s dedicated his life to. Overlooked during its theatrical release, “Rush” is a fantastic modern racing movie that deserves far more attention and accolades than it received.

With Ford’s reputation in the automotive world in question in the early ’60s, the movie “Ford v Ferrari” depicts the company’s real-life efforts to restore its luster through Formula One. The 2019 film has Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) commissioned by Ford Vice President Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) to design a car capable of beating Ferrari at Le Mans. Shelby works with driver and mechanical engineer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) on the project, with Miles also leading the racing team. This comes to a head at Le Mans 1966, as the duo overcome hovering corporate figures and, of course, Ferrari’s own team of well-trained drivers.

Originally intended for two different A-list actors, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, “Ford v Ferrari” is a solidly constructed sports movie recounting Ford’s renewed commitment to its racing efforts. Director and producer James Mangold knows when to pull back and let Damon and Bale breathe life into their characters in their tricky interpersonal dynamic. This all gels together beautifully in the movie’s climactic Le Mans competition, capturing the triumph and sacrifice made in the name of victory. Entertaining, if played a bit safe with its narrative, “Ford v Ferrari” is a no-frills tale of a memorable point in Formula One history.