Brad Pitt drives F1 car for the first time at private McLaren test in Austin

Brad Pitt may play a Formula 1 driver in his upcoming summer blockbuster, but he’s never gotten behind the wheel of a real F1 car – until now. McLaren held a private test at the Circuit of the Americas earlier this week, allowing the A-lister to take one of its previous cars for a drive, the team confirmed to Motorsport.com.

The reigning constructors’ champions hinted at the test on social media, sharing an image of driver overalls carrying Pitt’s initials, with the caption, “It’s a Sonny day in Austin.”

The Hollywood heavyweight, who stars as fictional ex-racer Sonny Hayes in the F1 movie, travelled to Texas after the film’s glitzy New York City premiere on Monday night.

McLaren racer Lando Norris also flew to the United States Grand Prix venue after the star-studded event in the Big Apple, while Oscar Piastri skipped the movie premiere altogether and headed straight to the Lone Star State for the TPC test. Pitt is believed to have taken to the track in the McLaren MCL60, the team’s 2023 car, after Norris showed him the ropes.

It’s curious that his first F1 outing took place with McLaren rather than Mercedes, as the Silver Arrows was the F1 team most heavily involved in the film’s production. In the film, Pitt and his co-star, Damson Idris, drive F2 cars that were modified by the German team.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Mercedes was heavily involved in all aspects of the movie – by way of co-producer Lewis Hamilton – with multiple staff members earning off-screen credits, and Toto Wolff making an on-screen appearance. 
The fictional APX GP car even carries a swath of Mercedes’ real-life sponsors, including IWC and Tommy Hilfiger (though the clothing brand has since been replaced by Adidas as a Mercedes sponsor).

Of course, Hamilton headed to Ferrari in the midst of the movie’s production, but it’s clear Pitt has still maintained a strong relationship with the likes of Wolff and George Russell.

Back in 2023, before cameras had even started rolling at the British Grand Prix, the Mercedes team principal revealed he had been involved “early on” and even sent Pitt to driving school in France to work his way up from Formula 4 machinery.

“We also tried to be helpful with the garages and the pit wall, all of it, and give them the designs so they could be as realistic as possible,” he said of the team's involvement in helping get APX GP get race-ready.

"I spoke to the director [Joe Kosinski] a few weeks ago and said, 'Where are you?' expecting him to tell me he's in Hollywood – but he said 'I'm in my apartment in Brackley,' so it's not all great being a movie director,” Wolff joked.  

‘F1’ will arrive in cinemas in the United States on June 27.