Private Brad Pitt test data catches Norris’ eye at ‘impressed’ McLaren

F1: The Movie star Brad Pitt had a chance to try his hand at driving a McLaren MCL60 around Circuit of The Americas — and he left the team impressed!

In a recent interview with Beyond the Grid, McLaren driver Lando Norris has revealed some of the behind-the-scenes details about how the superstar handled his foray as a Formula 1 driver.

Lando Norris spills the details of Brad Pitt’s McLaren test

Having drawn over $300 million in the global box office since hitting theaters, F1: The Movie is a clear summer blockbuster smash.

Starring actor Brad Pitt as a former Formula 1 driver given a chance at returning to the big leagues in an effort to save the APXGP team from the brink of bankruptcy, the film is set to kick off greater interest in the sport.

Pitt and co-star Damson Idris spent more than two years embedded in the F1 paddock, learning the ins and outs of driver behavior and even taking their modified Formula 2 film cars out for a spin during practice in order to capture critical footage for the final product.

To celebrate the release of the film, McLaren brought Pitt out to the Circuit of The Americas to take part in a Testing Previous Cars (TPC) program, which allowed the megastar to get behind the wheel of a proper F1 machine for the first time — and McLaren driver Lando Norris has shared plenty of behind-the-scenes details in a new episode of Beyond the Grid.

More on the F1 movie:

👉 Six things about the F1 movie that make it a must-see

👉 Brad Pitt F1 movie: An insider’s complete guide to the F1 film

“They were impressed!” Norris said of his McLaren team’s feelings on Pitt’s performance.

“I don’t think people realize 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 seem 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.”

The McLaren driver also shared a hint about how the actor performed: “He got to 197 miles per hour, he said — and was gutted that he didn’t do 200!

“They should have just taken a bit of wing off so he could do it.”

For reference, the fastest recorded speed hit at COTA was set in 2016 by Kevin Magnussen: 214.4 miles per hour.

Norris himself had a chance for some one-on-one time with Pitt; the day before the actor got behind the wheel, he chatted with Norris about what to expect.

“It was cool,” Norris enthused. “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 I gears I was using, things like that — what makes you want to use different gears, and what’s the feeling you want to have.

“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.”

At this point in the Beyond the Grid episode, host Tom Clarkson whispered, “Don’t crash! Don’t crash!”

Norris laughed.

“I did say that!” he admitted.

“That was my main bit of advice; I think that was the last thing I said to him, but I still said give it some.

“When you’re uncomfortable, just put it a bit more — which is a hard thing to do, but you’ve got to kind of break through that barrier of feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“I think in Formula 1, you have to get used to it not feeling right, and that’s normally kind of when it’s right.

“So especially for your first day, everything’s going to feel uncomfortable.

“The more used to being a bit uncomfortable you can be, the better you’ll do.”

Read next: Brad Pitt F1 movie smashes huge record as F1 fans flock to cinemas