Brad Pitt takes the wheel of a McLaren F1 in Austin
While playing a former Formula 1 driver in the film F1, Brad Pitt had a very real experience this week. McLaren offered him the opportunity to drive an F1 single-seater during a private test at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Brad Pitt finally drove a real Formula 1 car. The 61-year-old actor went to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin last Thursday for a private test with McLaren, a few days after the New York premiere of the F1 film in which he stars. It was his first time at the controls of a real championship race car.
First contact with the MCL60 in Austin
McLaren organized this private test session with the MCL60, the 2023 car that enabled Lando Norris to reach the podium seven times and Oscar Piastri to secure two. Norris was present on Wednesday to drive the car before Pitt took over the next day.
The British team had teased the event on social media by posting a photo of an orange suit marked with the initials “BP”, accompanied by the message: « It’s a Sonny day in Austin » (C’est une journée Sonny à Austin), a play on words with the English expression “sunny day” (« journée ensoleillée »), Sonny here referring to the character played by the actor.
It’s a Sonny day in Austin 👀#McLaren #F1 #F1TheMovie pic.twitter.com/u8EIc7TdPa
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 19, 2025
McLaren’s choice for this first test may come as a surprise. Indeed, Mercedes was the team most involved in the production of the film, with several staff members credited in the credits and an appearance by Toto Wolff on screen. The fictional APX GP car even features real Mercedes sponsors like IWC and Tommy Hilfiger.
F1: The Movie
In this feature film directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former F1 driver who comes out of retirement to mentor a young talent played by Damson Idris within the fictional team APX Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, was involved in the project as a producer and advisor.
For the needs of filming, which spanned three years, Pitt and Idris covered 6,000 miles behind the wheel of various cars, including F2 cars modified by Mercedes to resemble F1 single-seaters. Hamilton had even sent Pitt to a driving school in France. The idea was for him to learn and improve his driving skills, starting with Formula 4, to be more credible in his role. The film will be released in French theaters on June 25.
