The real problem was there WAS a story - and it was dreadful. The movie would have been better without one, because the racing action that year was spectacular, and the film work was brilliant.
The stories in most racing movies are just there to fill in between the racing scenes. In movies like ‘LeMans’ and ‘Grand Prix’, the racing sequences are so spectacular that the rest can be forgiven.
Most racing movies don’t work as complete films. An exception is ‘Rush’, which had a good story and fine acting. Screenwriter Peter Morgan was friends with Niki Lauda and the screeplay was realistic (as much as a Hollywood screenplay can be). Ron Howard did his his usual good job directing.