The Formula 1 film “F1” is on five Oscar shortlists: a rare occurrence for a genre that usually only appears on the fringes—and yet continues to surprise.
The Formula 1 film “F1” starring Brad Pitt is one step closer to a possible Oscar win at next year’s Academy Awards: the production has been included in five shortlists—the first step toward a possible award in March 2026. The categories are cinematography, film music, song, sound, and visual effects.
Although a place on a shortlist does not constitute a nomination, it underlines the commercial success of the film, which has grossed more than half a billion euros at the box office worldwide. Participation in the “second round” will be decided by a vote on January 16, 2026, with the final nominations for the “Oscar night” on March 15 announced a week later.
The Formula 1 film produced by Apple is competing against a number of well-known blockbusters such as “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Frankenstein.” “Tron: Ares” and “Jurassic World Rebirth” are also among the titles on the shortlists.
Motorsport films at the Oscars
Motorsport films are traditionally rarely represented at the Oscars, but they are not entirely unknown there: John Frankenheimer’s “Grand Prix” (1966) won three awards in the categories of editing, sound, and sound effects. James Mangold’s Le Mans ’66 (2019) was nominated for Best Picture and won two Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.
If “F1” converts its shortlist places into nominations, it would be a rare moment for the genre. At the same time, it would be a positive signal for those responsible, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Jerry Bruckheimer as producers. The Formula 1 film was directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Spoiler alert! In the film, veteran race car driver Sonny Hayes—played by Brad Pitt—makes his Formula 1 comeback to help a backmarker team get on the road to success. This leads to a conflict with Joshua Pearce, the fast rookie in the fictional APXGP team. In the end, however, Hayes triumphs and wins the season finale in Abu Dhabi before retiring from Formula 1 again.
