Brad Pitt a ‘better actor than racer’ in McLaren test debrief reveal

For all of his testing behind the wheel of a Formula 2 car, Brad Pitt remains a “better actor than racer” according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown!

Nevertheless, Brown was highly complimentary of Pitt, who put together an impressive F1 debut during a TPC outing at the Circuit of The Americas.

Pitt “a better actor than racer” despite impressive McLaren test

On June 19, 2025, American actor Brad Pitt climbed behind the wheel of the MCL60, McLaren’s 2023 Formula 1 challenger, as part of a Testing Previous Cars Programme hosted by the team at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas.

For Pitt, it was something of a final goodbye to the open-wheel cockpits he’d become extremely familiar with during over the previous two years.

As the star of F1: The Movie, Pitt has grown familiar with a variety of lower-tier European open-wheel machines — particularly that of the modified Formula 2 car used to capture groundbreaking in-car camera shots to flesh out the authenticity of the movie.

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The Formula 2 car was outfitted to look like an F1 car, enabling Pitt and co-star Damson Idris to head out on race tracks around the world for 10-minute filming sessions at select Grands Prix throughout 2023 and 2024.

“They said we put 6,000 miles in the car over the year and a half of filming, or two years plus training,” Pitt revealed to Sky Sports during the launch of the film.

“Which, y’know, they paid me! Like, how did I get away with that one? I feel lucky to get to hang out these two, three years that we’ve done it.

“It’s kind of like, now what?”

But before Pitt bid adieu to the world of Formula 1, he was invited by McLaren to join the team for a few laps behind the wheel of a proper F1 machine. The actor joined the likes of former racer Martin Brundle and current McLaren stars like Lando Norris for a day of testing at Austin, Texas’ Circuit of The Americas.

Reflecting on the experience, Brundle said, “[Pitt] was good, he was solid out there. It’s not easy to just jump in. There’s a lot going on.

“He was impressive. It was my 73rd F1 car, it was his first, and he didn’t crash it.

“There was a point when I was getting a briefing on how to start it up and which clutch paddle to pull and all that, and he just pulled up a chair and just sat and listened, because he wanted to know more and more.”

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, however, took a more lighthearted approach to his assessment of Pitt’s performance when speaking to Sky Sports F1.

“There’s a reason why Martin got paid to go motor racing!” he joked.

“But I will say, Brad did an awesome job, and he was very serious about it. I talk to him afterwards; he wanted to look at his data.

“So, you know, I think Brad’s a better actor than racing driver, but he did a good job. In all seriousness, he did a very good job.”

On the Beyond the Grid podcast, Pitt shared more of his own experience behind the wheel.

“I got to hit 197 mph this week,” he said. “I really wanted to hit 200. You know, it hurts me a little bit — three miles per hour short on the straight!

“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.

“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.”

Pitt’s time in the F1 paddock has come to a close for the moment, though there’s already talk about a sequel in the works for F1: The Movie.

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