Brawn GP Docuseries, Keanu Reeves Deliver

Been a while since we’ve had a racing miniseries!

Admittedly, I failed in my task of checking out Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story late last year upon its release. The four-episode documentary event premiered in conjunction with the Disney+/ESPN+/Hulu conglomerate last year (on Hulu for me, if anyone cares), and I got about halfway through. The end of November was chaotic with catching up with movies like Napoleon and Godzilla Minus One, and I (for some reason) stopped.

So I finally picked it back up a couple weeks back and watched it over the course of NASCAR’s Talladega Superspeedway race weekend (but of course was locked into the ‘Dega spectacle while that was going on). Brawn covers Brawn GP, a small Formula 1 team that shocked the world by winning championships for driver and constructor in 2009.

This ties into Reel Racing twofold: On one level, it’s obviously a docuseries about racing; on another, Terminator Salvation graced the rear wing of the cars at one point that season due to the varied sponsorships they brought on board to help keep the team afloat.

I think one of the things that make this series work, but could easily go either way, is Keanu Reeves’ enthusiasm. The John Wick and Speed star serves as host and somewhat of a narrator, interviewing all of the guests and personalities while exuding nothing but enthusiasm for the subject at hand. He’s gesticulating wildly, cussing left and right, putting himself in the scenarios they’re talking about … that man is a national treasure and needs to be protected at all costs.

That’s easily an element that could turn a viewer on or off, but I think it really works. Equally enthralling is the actual subject of the documentary, Brawn GP. After Honda’s team pulled its wares from the F1 grid thanks to the stock market crash and other issues, former Ferrari shot-caller and Honda team principal Ross Brawn fronted a buyout that formed what became the team that bore his name.

The most important thing is just how many players of the sport are interviewed here:

• Brawn GP drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello
• Brawn GP staffers, from its team principal down to the fueling pit crew member
• Rival team principals, including Christian Horner
• Other drivers on the grid, including Felipe Massa and Mark Webber
• Personalities of the sport, among them Martin Brundle

Via the amount…