Brad Pitt reveals his baptism of fire in F1 with McLaren: « It’s a unique feeling »
Brad Pitt has opened up about his first test behind the wheel of a real Formula 1 car, a few days after driving the McLaren MCL60 in Austin. The 61-year-old actor, star of "F1: le film" released this week, reveals sensations he still struggles to describe, and confesses his frustration at narrowly missing his 200 mph target.
After portraying the former driver Sonny Hayes in the F1 movie released this week, Brad Pitt finally had the chance to experience in real life what he had only been acting on screen. The 61-year-old actor shared on the Beyond The Grid podcast about his baptism of fire behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL60, revealing sensations he still struggles to describe after this test day at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, had offered Pitt the opportunity to drive the 2023 McLaren, the same one that allowed Lando Norris to climb the podium seven times and for Oscar Piastri to claim two. The preparation took place at McLaren’s technology center in Woking with technical meetings, a seat fitting, and several hours in the simulator. A preparation that proved necessary but insufficient to fully grasp the sensations of an F1.
An intense discovery on the Texan circuit
This test in Austin highlighted the gap between the modified F2 used for filming and a real F1. Indeed, during three years of filming, the American actor and his partner Damson Idris had only driven F2 modified by Mercedes for cinematic purposes. These cars, designed to visually resemble F1, did not have the same performance.
The gap revealed itself to be brutal during his first laps in Austin, as the actor explains: « The difference? It’s huge. Certainly, the pickup is nothing like what I had experienced before. It’s just more, more, more—more brakes, more speed, more power in the corners. ». This increase in power visibly impressed him, as he thought he had gained a certain familiarity with this type of machine during the filming.
As for Formula 1, Pitt reveals having reached a top speed of 197 mph (317 km/h) on the straights of the Austin circuit, narrowly missing his personal goal. He tells the F1 podcast about being competitive and feeling frustrated: “I really wanted to hit 200, it’s a bit painful for me. Three miles per hour less on the straight.”
Indescribable sensations
The immersion in the cockpit of an F1 gave him unprecedented sensations. Pitt was particularly struck by the unique mindset it requires. Indeed, far from the extreme tension often imagined, the actor describes a fascinating paradox of total concentration: It’s precisely at that moment that you can rest, surprisingly. It’s the moment when you can catch your breath. It’s everything else that is intense. I have never experienced anything as powerful in terms of presence. You are totally focused, but without tension. Just in a kind of sublime harmony. It’s truly extraordinary.
The effect of aerodynamic downforce left a strong impression on him, although he struggles to put it into words: « I try to explain this sensation of aerodynamic downforce and I fail every time. You could say it’s like a roller coaster, but it’s not even that because you feel a point of support beneath you. »
Even digging into his memories, the actor couldn’t find a point of comparison to this feeling. “I was once in an aerobatic plane, and that’s the closest it gets. But still, this thing is such a unique feeling and an absolute rush of adrenaline,” he tried to explain.
Brad Pitt LOVES the MCL60 🤩✅#McLaren | #F1TheMovie pic.twitter.com/AnJVygsDTK
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 25, 2025
Brad Pitt does not forget to thank those who offered him this unique opportunity. “I can’t thank Zak Brown and the team enough. I spent the day with Lando. I was on cloud nine,” he shares with emotion.
Although this first experience in F1 left him a little unsatisfied, the actor admits to still being euphoric several days later and is already eager to return to the track: “I want to go back, and I want to beat the time. I want to beat the time!” he insisted.
Fiction meets reality
This trial session came at the right time, as the F1 film was released in French theaters on June 25, ahead of a North American release on the 27th.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the feature film follows the fictional journey of Sonny Hayes, a former F1 prodigy called back to the competition thirty years later.
We discover this former hope of the 1990s returning to the paddock for a final chance. Pitt shares the screen with British actor Damson Idris, who plays Joshua Pearce, his young teammate in the fictional team APX GP. Lewis Hamilton, the film’s producer, also contributed as a technical advisor.
