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Lando Norris has weighed in on Brad Pitt’s testing of a Formula 1 car. The British motorsport star admitted to being impressed by the 60-year-old’s performance.
Pitt, who recently starred in the blockbuster movie F1, was offered the opportunity to drive an actual Formula 1 car by the McLaren team. The Hollywood icon, who boasts a net worth of $400 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, participated in a Testing of Previous Car (TPC) programme in the McLaren MCL60 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The movie star, who plays a veteran driver for the fictional APX GP team in the F1 film, seized the opportunity to showcase his skills behind the wheel, reaching a top speed of 197 miles per hour — a feat that left Lando Norris impressed.
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Sharing his thoughts on Pitt’s outing during a recent appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Norris stated:
“They were impressed! I don’t think people realise what it takes to step into a Formula 1 car and just go out and drive and give it some — especially because it was a very warm day in Texas. He did a very good job. I’ve seen some of the data, I’ve seen some of the overlays and things.
"I think for his first day in a Formula 1 car — because obviously what they drove before was Formula 2, and [that’s] certainly quick, but it’s not Formula 1.”
Brad Pitt’s outing in the McLaren MCL60 marked his maiden experience in actual F1 machinery. During filming, he had driven a modified Formula 2 chassis, redesigned to resemble a Formula 1 car.
Lando Norris details Brad Pitt’s reaction ahead of driving F1 car in COTA
Lando Norris also praised Brad Pitt’s mindset and meticulous approach ahead of his debut in an F1 car. The eight-time F1 Grand Prix winner detailed how pleased he was with Pitt’s attention to detail and curious nature ahead of his outing.
Sharing his thoughts in the aforementioned podcast, Norris — who was also at the Austin circuit — acknowledged that it was cool how the Hollywood veteran was attentive to details and asked for advice.
“It was cool. First of all, I was out the day before to ask some questions and things. He definitely wanted to understand things and know what I felt in different places — what gears I was using, things like that — what makes you want to use different gears, and what’s the feeling you want to have," Norris said.
“He was definitely asking a good amount of questions, which is cool, because it’s not like he’s like: ‘I just wanna go out and drive and do it.’ I think he wants to do well, and he wants to drive fast. And that’s always a nice thing to see," he added.
While Brad Pitt’s outing in the 2023 McLaren challenger was largely symbolic, serving as a subtle reward for his starring role in the F1 movie, it’s worth noting that the 61-year-old came close to matching the highest top speed ever recorded at the circuit — a feat achieved by Kevin Magnussen during the 2016 edition of the United States Grand Prix: 214.4 mph.
