With fierce rivalries, high-octane, unpredictable action and unprecedented skill on show, it’s no wonder Formula One has been so thoroughly embraced by Hollywood, becoming the subject of some iconic films and TV shows. But with so much choice out there, which are the best Formula One stories to hit the big and small screens? Check out our list of six ace F1 films and TV shows you can watch now:
We start off with a video that takes us back to the basics. Formula One, as with any sport, can seem overwhelming thanks to its deep well of history, jargon, and decade upon decade of changing rules, disciplines and personalities. Thankfully, the ABC of? series gives you the answers you need, in brilliant episodes that are both comprehensive and compulsive.The Formula One instalment (Season 1, Episode 8) is no different, and can give you a cracking primer into everything from the terminology, to the heroes and drama of F1.
In a sport built upon eye-popping skill and speed, the pit stop is arguably one of the most impressive aspects of Formula One. In the time it takes to blink, pit stops see teams demonstrate incredible levels of focus and coordination to deliver a choreographed performance of such clockwork efficiency that what should take minutes, instead takes mere seconds. The History of the Pit Stop gives viewers the chance to see just how these incredible feats of teamwork come together, and what the pit stop means for both drivers and crew.
Enamoured by the idea of transferring from one sport to another, Two 2 Four Wheels sees MotoGP champions Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, and motocross champion Tony Cairoli, see just how well their considerable skills on two wheels translate to Formula One. Starting off in an F1 simulator at Red Bull Racing HQ in the UK, they then hit the real-life track at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Spoiler alert: It turns out they’re pretty handy, regardless of the number of wheels.
For over 20 years, one of Formula One’s most iconic tracks, the Mexican Grand Prix (the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, formerly the Magdalena Mixhuca), lay dormant, with the doors slamming shut after the driver-favourite circuit failed to live up to safety standards. In 2015, however, the event was revived with the track undergoing serious surgery to fulfill today’s FIA requirements. Ground Effect, a short film documenting the race against time to bring this track back to life, shows the thrilling efforts behind the rebuild as millions of fans worldwide waited with bated breath for F1 Mexico to find its way back.
The documentary Mechanics of Creativity sees former Formula One superstar David Coulthard visit Havana, Cuba, to meet with the mechanics hailed as the most creative in the world, experiencing first-hand a brotherhood able of keeping their cars running for decades through a mix of ingenuity, passion and creativity.
Beyond the eye-candy of seeing some of the 60,000 classic cars on Havana?s streets (a result of the country?s revolution: cars can only be bought and sold if they ran on the streets of Cuba before 1959), viewers also get to see Coulthard race through some of Havana’s historic neighbourhoods in a 1955 Pontiac for the Cuban Classic Car Rally. For anyone looking for a fascinating glimpse into a different racing culture, Mechanics of Creativity is a must-watch.
You can watch this and more Formula One content by downloading the free Red Bull TV app on all devices! Get the app here.