Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story (2023) Dir: Daryl Goodrich
Instagram post:
As a lifelong Formula One fan, and one who idolised the team and drivers who were the subject of this 4-part limited series, I was incredibly excited to see this documentary. This excitement was only exacerbated when I became aware of the narration from Keanu Reeves.
The story of Brawn GP's journey, from the ruins of the poorly managed Honda works team to the unfathomable achievement of World Championship glory, is one that has rightly gone down in history as one of the great stories in motorsport.
The direction of Daryl Goodrich was exemplary. Watching the story play out, with all sorts of behind the scenes footage and newly filmed content, was nostalgic, surreal and somehow just as thrilling as watching it all happen back in 2009. Over the course of 4 hour long episodes, Goodrich tells a hugely complicated and intense series of events in concise and effective detail.
Keanu Reeves, who was also credited as an executive producer for the series, proved to be a masterstroke decision as the narrator of the series. He was intensely likable and charismatic - without distracting from the rest of the documentary, and, perhaps most importantly, clearly invested in the subject matter.
The likes of team alumni Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello and Ross Brawn, as well as other F1 personalities including Christian Horner, provided hugely fascinating insight into the business, sporting and personal aspects of that fateful, turbulent and competitive season in the sport.
A fair amount of time was given to talking about the overarching drama and political strife surrounding Formula One in 2009 - which is something I appreciated a lot. It made the documentary feel like so much more than a sports story. It added extra depth and intrigue to each episode that was truly enthralling.
The only thing that could have made this documentary better was if it had featured an interview with Sebastian Vettel, who was a key feature of the battle for the championship that year. Other than that, the series was virtually faultless, from an audience member perspective.
Overall, I absolutely loved this thriller of a documentary series. Many sports documentaries don't always get it right, but this one certainly did. I was hooked, invested and entertained for every minute of it. As someone who watched the season being spoken about as a child, it was even more enjoyable seeing the team involved get a truly special look several years later. I haven't enjoyed a documentary this much since the 2010 Senna documentary.
Comments