I won’t beat around the bush: “F1” looks rad as hell. Director Joseph Kosinski has reunited with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriter Ehren Kruger after working with them on the fantastic “Top Gun: Maverick,” and it’s obvious that they’re looking to create something similar here set in the world of Formula 1 racing. 

There are recognizable archetypes and familiar rhythms to films like this — charming leading man playing a guy whose best days are ostensibly behind him, hot love interest to inspire him on the sidelines, young up-and-comer representing the modern way of doing things, etc. — and credit where it’s due, Bruckheimer has built an incredible career making movies that are slight variations on that formula. When it’s firing on all cylinders, there’s a cathartic, satisfying, pump-your-fist quality to this type of moviemaking that feels like a throwback to a different era.

But was the monster success of “Top Gun: Maverick” dependent on audiences having a three-decade relationship with the original film and jonesing for Tom Cruise to return to that role? Or will “F1” be able to replicate at least some of that sequel’s genuine phenomenon status? That’s a crucial question that Apple and Warner Bros. have to be asking themselves right now, but if this trailer is any indication, they could have a nice summer hit on their hands.

I have no doubt that Kosinski will be able to deliver when it comes to the action in “F1” because he and cinematographer Claudio Miranda clearly have a penchant for cramming cameras in hard-to-reach places and letting actors perform real stunts (enhanced by a healthy amount of CG, no matter what anyone tells you). But the cinematic landscape is littered with action movies that are technically accomplished but which feel completely empty because the audience doesn’t care about its characters. 

So the real questions, then, are will Kosinski be able to coax something special out of Pitt, an ultra-charismatic actor who, after the disappointment of last year’s “Wolfs,” feels like he may be tiptoeing toward the verge of self-parody? And will Damson Idris, who some audiences might know from the FX series “Snowfall,” be able to pop on screen in the same way Miles Teller and Glen Powell did in “Top Gun: Maverick”? There’s more to directing than crafting kinetic set pieces (we think Kosinski should have scored a Best Director nomination at the Oscars for “Maverick”), and “F1” is going to be an important test for Kosinski to see if he can execute on the Bruckheimer playbook without an automatic buy-in from the audience. It helps that the always likable Javier Bardem seems to be having a blast playing the authority figure who gives inspirational speeches to his drivers; a performance like his could be exactly the type of thing this movie needs to give the film enough juice to make it across the finish line.

Not to mention the film has something like a $300 million budget for Apple, and falls in the middle of a somewhat risky 2025 release slate for Warner Bros. No pressure!

“F1” speeds into theaters on June 27, 2025.