Brad Pitt Celebrates Release Of 'F1' By Hopping In A McLaren Formula 1 Car At COTA
Pitt plays an F1 driver in his latest film.
The new Formula 1 film — creatively titled F1 — hit theaters this week, and what better way to celebrate that than by letting the movie's star, Brad Pitt, hop in a real-deal F1 car and turn some laps at Circuit of the Americas?
There isn't one, so that's what they did.
There are pretty strict regulations about how much track time current Formula 1 cars can be on track, with the argument being that teams might be able to gain some extra insights into how their car works, even with a 60-year-old actor in the cockpit.
That, and I can't imagine a team would want to run the risk of crashing up any of their current spec cars or parts just to promote a movie.
So, that's why McLaren brought the MCL60 to Austin for Pitt to take through some of COTA's iconic corners with. That car was used by the team for the 2023 season, making it old enough that McLaren CEO Zak Brown was comfortable letting the actor take it for a spin.
I like that Pitt is wearing the same helmet as his character in the film, Sonny Hayes.
"I got to hit 197 mph this week. I really wanted to hit 200," Pitt said during an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast, per Formula1.com. "You know, it hurts me a little bit – three miles per hour short on the straight. This was at Austin."
How did they not let him give it one more shot?! I assume he's talking about the long back straight at COTA, and I bet if he tried it one more time, he'd get a clean exit out of Turn 11 and would hit 200.
Pitt drove modified Formula 2 cars while shooting the films, but he said nothing compares to real F1 machinery.
"I've just never experienced anything that's just, more feeling of presence in my life. You're so focused, but you're not white knuckling. You're just in this sublime groove. It is really extraordinary, He said. "I try to explain this feeling of downforce, and I fail every time because you try to say like a rollercoaster, but that's not even right, because you feel the fulcrum point underneath you – you're in it. I was in an aerobatic plane once, and it's the closest thing, but still this thing. This is such a unique feeling and an absolute high. I'm still on a high, I really am. I'm just still on a high.
"And I can't thank Zak Brown and the team [enough]. I spent the day out with Lando [Norris] – just what a high, what a high."