F1 The Movie: The Real Reason Brad Pitt's Sonny Hayes Keeps A Card In His Pocket

Athletes are strange birds, man. They're known for being creatures of habit, sure, but they can also develop reputations for being downright ... odd. Baseball fans and teammates alike know that starting pitchers are simply not to be trifled with on the day they're scheduled to pitch, lest innocent passersbys incur the wrath of some misplaced intensity. Just the other day, tennis star Daniil Medvedev suffered what can only be described as a total freakin' meltdown at the US Open — an event that might take distractions even more seriously than golf does. When it comes to the high-octane thrills of Formula 1 racing, well, "F1: The Movie" showed that even something as simple as strapping oneself into a cutting-edge vehicle and driving in circles for hours has no shortage of its own quirks and curious antics.

The Joseph Kosinski-directed blockbuster rode a wave of positive word-of-mouth reactions and some residual "Top Gun: Maverick" fever to become one of the biggest hits of the year, but, as always, there are still a few unanswered questions to deal with. Brad Pitt stars as the seemingly washed-up racer Sonny Hayes, brought on board as a measure of last resort for one desperate team to compete at the Grand Prix. The aged, past-his-prime hotshot has one heck of a backstory adding to his complexity: a horrific and career-ending accident from his younger days, a string of failed marriages, and a checkered history as a gambling addict. Despite all this, his rags-to-riches arc brings him from the brink of ruin to the fast track as a genuine winner in his own right. But viewers may have noticed one little superstition that Sonny displays again and again that went unexplained — until now, that is.

As it turns out, there's a very good (and poignant) reason why he keeps that one playing card in his pocket at all times during races.

"Why does Brad Pitt's Sonny Hayes always keep a playing card in his pocket?" might not go down as the most hard-hitting cinematic mystery among the likes of Rosebud in "Citizen Kane," but that's not stopping us from looking for answers anyway. "F1: The Movie" has a lot going for it, from the simmering rivalry between Sonny and brash hothead Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) to the remarkably realistic-looking racing sequences that were filmed like no other racing movie before. But once the smoke cleared and Sonny and Joshua walked away victorious from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that one nagging question remained up in the air. Well, consider this mystery solved.

In an interview with GQ, director Joseph Kosinski addressed the full scope of the movie — how the production filmed some of the biggest race sequences, whether a sequel is in the offing, and, of course, the exact reasoning behind that recurring playing card. Throughout the story, we see Sonny's grueling training regimen and his insistence on a hands-on approach over an over-reliance on tech. That back-to-basics mindset also includes his insistence on stuffing one particular playing card in his pocket before every instance of climbing into a dangerous racecar. The script leaves the motivations behind this to our own imaginations, but Kosinski confirmed that it's both a typical athlete superstition and a crucial insight into the character's headspace:

"I think it comes from doing something where you are putting your life at risk every day. Brad also has superstitions. He would only get into the car from the left side, and he had to put one shoe on first, and then the other."

"[Sonny's] father was a gambler, and we liked that notion being part of his ritual as well."

That certainly checks out! There's much to be said about the actual level of realism involved in the plot, but this is one (relatively) minor detail that rings true to life. "F1: The Movie" is currently available to purchase or rent on digital platforms.