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Brad Pitt may have starred as a fictional racer in F1: The Movie, but his recent day behind the wheel of Lando Norris' McLaren at the Circuit of the Americas proved he's living out the script in real life. McLaren offered Pitt a rare chance to pilot their 2023 MCL60 car just days before the film's global release. In a behind-the-scenes video shared by F1 on July 10, Norris was seen raising an intriguing question just before Pitt got into McLaren's car in Austin.
Pitt had already developed strong car control while filming the Apple-backed movie, which follows veteran driver Sonny Hayes and his rookie teammate Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris). But at COTA, it was no longer choreographed.
With McLaren CEO Zak Brown hosting the session and Lando Norris personally showing him the ropes, the day quickly turned from a promotional shoot to an actual test run. Before Pitt got into the cockpit, Norris said (via F1 on X):
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"I have full confidence he can go out and drive, but it depends how quickly he wants to push it. That's the real question." (1:03 onwards)
After a warm-up session, Lando Norris took Pitt around the track in a McLaren 750S, demonstrating gear changes and throttle points. Pitt then returned the favor by giving Sky F1's Martin Brundle a passenger ride, before the tables turned and Brundle drove Pitt.
In a recent video shared by Sky Sports F1 on YouTube, Norris said:
"It's my car so don't crash. It's always the best word of advice. I have faith in you guys. I definitely have faith in you (points to brundle) (points to pitt) we're working on it... enjoy it. you can probably push it more than you think, I think like you'll always be a bit afraid of can I do it or not. Just give it some. If it breaks, all these guys here they'll fix it." (5:17 onwards)
With McLaren's engineers guiding him through startup on the radio, on the brake pedal, and on the steering wheel, Pitt pulled out of the garage and into Formula 1's reality.
"I just never experienced anything like it": Brad Pitt opens up about his COTA run with Lando Norris
COTA's 5.5 km layout with high-speed sweepers and technical braking zones can expose even seasoned drivers. Turn 1 itself is an uphill right‑hander with nearly 20m elevation from the start line, while Turns 2 through 6 are high‑speed esses with up to 3 G force on the drivers. Turn 8 is a hairpin, and turns 12 and 13 are low-speed corners.
For Lando Norris, Brad Pitt's biggest hurdle would be tuning into how much grip the car actually offered.
"Everyone's perception of when they're in the car is different. I think he'll get flat nice and early and he'll give it some, but then he's trying to find the consistency and push it from there. See what gives him the confidence to push it more in the medium and high speed corners. I mean, it still blows my mind and I've done it now for years," Lando Norris added via F1.
For Pitt, fresh off driving modified F2 cars for filming, the real MCL60's aero grip was an entirely different beast.
"I got to hit 197 (mph) this week. I really wanted to hit (200). It like hurts me a little bit to (be) 3 mph short on the straight, this was at Austin. But that's actually the time you get to rest, funny enough. That's the time you get to like catch your breath... I've just never experienced anything that gives more feeling of presence in my life. You're so focused," Pitt said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
Pitt described the experience as closer to aerobatics than motorsports. That moment of presence, so often described by F1 drivers but rarely experienced outside the paddock, had clearly left its mark.
F1: The Movie, directed by Joseph Kosinski and backed by Lewis Hamilton, has become Apple Studios' biggest-ever theatrical hit. With over $293 million in global box office revenue, it surpassed the likes of Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon despite its high $250 million budget (per Variety).
