F1 is a sport with a lot of rules and strategy. The combination of the whole race crew explain-talking to each other, the constant narration of the race announcer (I could hear about 2/3rds of what he said) and onscreen graphics explaining their places in the race, helped enough to make the drama engaging. Non-F1 fans would struggle to always understand why Hayes's team gained or lost an advantage, but we always understood that it did happen.
A lot of the strategy involves which tires the car is using, their current condition, and when they should be changed. Like, A LOT of the plot is tire-related.
Besides the mentor/redemption arcs of Hayes and Pearce, his young and unwilling protégé, story arc about the crew reminded me of Ted Lasso, and not only because the cast includes two Lasso veterans, and Apple made the movie. Tell me if this sounds familiar: a Midwestern American cowboy type with lots of folksy colloquialisms, constantly confident in the face of adversity, is hired by a maverick owner into an already established team of various European nationalities, wallowing in last place. The cowboy has little experience with the sport in question. The cowboy's indirect leadership style rubs off on his teammates and brings them all closer together. I half expected Pitt to bring shortbread cookies to the track every morning. There's a moment early on where a blond, pigtailed pit crew member makes two mistakes during a tire change. After the race, Sonny forgives her for the error. Then later, she takes a private moment to tell Sonny "Thank you for what you said earlier...but don't do it again. It makes me look weak, like I need extra help from you." and Sonny agrees. This is the kind of subtle gender cultural workplace dynamic that Lasso dealt with every week. The kind of relationship that manly sports movies of the past would never include.
For a racing movie, they don't talk about race at all (pun intended): Sonny's unwilling protégé, rookie driver Joshua Pierce [Damson Idris], is a Black English actor (Idris is from a Nigerian family of Yoruba descent). All we know about him is that he's a Black guy with an English accent, his mother is also Black, and none of this is discussed. Pierce mentions once how hard he worked to get where he is, but not one syllable about his race. When exactly did that moment pass? 20 years ago? 15?
Beacon Pittsfield with Aaron, Crockett, Nic, and Richard