Star of 'F1' Movie Brad Pitt provides intimate details on McLaren test session with Lando Norris

17:21, 25 Jun

byToby Nixon

'F1' movie star Brad Pitt has admitted that he is still 'on a high' after testing McLaren's 2023 car with Lando Norris in Austin.

The Hollywood legend was granted a unique opportunity with the McLaren team to test the Woking-based team's 2023 challenger, the MCL60.

The 61-year-old was entrusted with a Formula 1 car after he spent a couple of years driving the film's 'APX GP' cars regularly.

The black and gold 'APX GP' cars are modified F2 cars developed with the help of Mercedes. Pitt, who plays Sonny Hayes, drove the car for real during Formula 1 weekends.

"I got to hit 197 mph this week. I really wanted to hit two; it hurts me a little bit. I was three miles per hour short on the straight," Pitt revealed on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

The two-time Academy Award winner has truly engrossed himself in the world of Formula 1 over the past few years. Therefore, he provided some insight on the dream of so many - what it's truly like to drive an F1 car.

Pitt describes the 'Extraordinary' feeling of a Formula 1 car

"It is really extraordinary. And I try to explain this feeling of downforce and I fail every time because you try to say like a roller coaster, but that's not even right. Cause you feel a fulcrum point underneath you," Pitt revealed.

The American continued, noting that he found long straights the easiest part of driving despite the high speeds: "This was at Austin, but that's actually the time you get to rest, funnily enough.

"That's the time you get to like, just catch your breath. It's everything else.

"I've just never experienced anything. That's just, more a feeling of presence in my life. Cause you're so focused, but you're not white knuckling. You're just in this sublime groove."

Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, an older racer returning to the chaotic world of F1.

Pitt also thanked the McLaren team for the opportunity. "I'm just still on a high and I can't thank Zak Brown and the team, and I even spent the day out with Lando and wow, just what a high."

'Massive' difference between APX GP cars and McLaren F1 car

It's been a busy couple of days for Pitt. 'Sonny Hayes' has been promoting the F1 movie at numerous events around the globe, but nothing compared to driving McLaren's F1 car at the Circuit of the Americas.

Pitt noticed some large differences between the "APX GP' car and the fully fledged Formula 1 car.

"The pickup is like nothing that I'd experienced before. I mean, it's just more brakes, more speed, more cornering power. And so, I want to go back again and beat the time!"

Will you be going to see the F1 movie?

F1, directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a retired racer coaxed back into the high‑stakes world of Formula 1 alongside rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Shot during actual Grand Prix events with real F1 drivers and teams, the film uses groundbreaking on‑car IMAX camera systems to deliver raw racing intensity. The global release of the film is today, June 25 2025. In North America, you can watch the film in cinemas on June 27.