Formula 1 was born for the big screen. In an era where more and more people from across the planet are flocking to the pinnacle of motorsport and are clamoring for new ways to experience it, there’s been an untapped resource hiding in plain sight this entire time.
In his 2012 narration montage of the Formula 1 Season for the BBC, Eddie Jordan began with the lines:
“It was a season like no other. An unfolding story so full of twists and turns, it could have been the product of Hollywood. A script that brought together flesh and metal, emotion and power – the greatest car chase ever!”
If that alone doesn’t at least get you considering the possibility of F1 being perfect for cinematic viewing and that it always has been, then are you really an F1 or motorsport fan?
If you are a motorsport lover however, then one of the few things we can all definitely agree on, aside from this, is that there are never enough films being created about it. Rush was phenomenal as was the absolutely sublime Le Mans ‘66. Both were cinematic powerhouses and perfectly demonstrated how well this sport and its stories can look on screen.
Recently, there’s been a slight uptick in this area with Lewis Hamilton and Jerry Bruckheimer (amongst others) working together to create a Formula 1 film and Keanu Reeves has been developing a Brawn GP documentary based off their fairytale 2009 season. Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ has also been responsible for an explosion in the popularity of F1 amongst general fans who otherwise might not know much about it.
Surely the next step to promote Formula 1 even more to the masses – and reward long time fans – is to show Sunday’s Grand Prix in the cinema. While the entire F1 weekend may be asking a little too much, at least at first, making the full race on Sunday available for a general audience would be more than enough to satisfy many a fans’ appetite.
As a starting point, major chain cinemas could allow one of their screens to be taken over by Formula 1 on a Sunday afternoon in order to gauge the interest from the public on how many people would want to attend. A Grand Prix lasts the same time as an average film so it wouldn’t be an unusual move for a cinema to make.
Furthermore, a cinema wouldn’t have any trouble broadcasting the Grand Prix as they already go through a similar process when live streaming Music Concerts and other similar live events.
Tickets could be done at a reduced rate for a single Grand Prix, otherwise the cost for the entire season would be astronomical and would subsequently knock this idea dead on its feet. Formula 1 probably has enough money anyway so I’m sure they’d get over this.
But tickets for one stand alone Grand Prix could be a similar price as one would pay to watch the latest blockbuster while other packages covering portions or even the entire season could be done at a reduced rate. It wouldn’t be rocket science to figure something out that would work.
Depending upon which countries implemented this initiative, Formula 1 at the cinema could act as a brilliant alternative for those that can’t fork out the money to get through the pay wall that probably stands between them and Formula 1. As cinemas would only be showing the Grand Prix on Sunday too, it only makes sense that it would be cheaper than what others charge as you’d be receiving less in return for your money in terms of content.
Local businesses could also thrive more as a result too because before and after a Grand Prix, potential customers would already be in town and would be more likely to time watching the Grand Prix with going shopping or grabbing a meal with friends or family. Depending where the cinema is, Formula 1 could even help to revive the high street.
RED BULL RING, AUSTRIA – JULY 10: Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22, leads Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, and Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522 during the Austrian GP at Red Bull Ring on Sunday July 10, 2022 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)
That’s enough about the financials though. Just stop reading for a second, close your eyes and picture what a Formula 1 Grand Prix would look like on a cinema screen with the surround sound to go with it. You’re smiling, I can tell. Go back in your mind and remember watching 2022’s Silverstone Grand Prix or 2021’s Brazilian Grand Prix or any of the first opening rounds of the 2012 season for example.
Then imagine how much better they would have been had you watched them at the cinema. For each of those Grand Prix and many many others, another of Eddie Jordan’s quotes from 2012 fits perfectly to describe what the F1 cinematic experience would be like:
“It dealt in fantasy, in impossible happenings, unpredictable at every scene. Old favorites returned to the stage to show they’d lost none of their luster. Some stars dimmed, reduced to mere extras as we embraced new heroes with familiar names. We cheered for the underdog, a celebration cut short. Like an action movie, it kept you on the edge of your seat. Bravery. Excitement. Glamour. A life out of reach. Sub-Plots evolved, story lines changed. Triumphs and pitfalls – a love story gone sour. Heroes and villains switching in a moment – it had to be scripted.”
If that quote from EJ doesn’t convince you that Formula 1 should be shown in cinemas around the world on a regular basis, then I don’t know what will.
It would be a great way to bring people together and for fans to get to know one another. In turn, if local cinemas in particular got on board with this plan and were able to execute it, it could help save them from disappearing altogether. Cinemas have struggled as of the last few years with the rise of on demand television and streaming services. Certain filmmakers, film stars and companies have battled against this trend because they believe (correctly) that some things should be seen for the first time in a cinema.
The latest James Bond film or something such as Top Gun: Maverick or Avatar: The Way of Water, shouldn’t be watched on anything but a big screen. It just wouldn’t be right. They should be treated as an event because that’s what they are – and that’s exactly what Formula 1 is too.
“And now to the end. The greatest story ever told has an ending just as captivating. Last year’s leading man now shares the spotlight. Two characters both hoping to seal their own trilogy. But this is no tired sequel, this is the soap opera! And now we await the final scene. Lights out, camera, action!” – Eddie Jordan
I don’t have all the details for this ironed out to perfection but I do think that this is a conversation worth having. Formula 1 at the cinema would be an immersive experience like no other and, as DTS did before it, would draw in old and new fans the world over and present the top tier of motorsport in a way no less than it deserves.
Imagine George Russell’s overtake of Valtteri Bottas in Sakhir on the big screen. Or Vettel’s battle with Magnussen from Austin in the final moments of the Grand Prix.
It would be spectacular.
Your move Liberty.
Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly
