F1 | McLaren lets Brad Pitt drive MCL60 in secret Austin test. A top-secret test was held in Austin for a special driver who got behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL60.

A top-secret test was held in Austin for a special driver who got behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL60, the car driven by Norris and Piastri in 2023.

After the race weekend in Canada, McLaren moved to the track in Austin, where it carried out a top-secret test. A special driver sat in the MCL60, the car driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in 2023, to experience the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.

This was not a professional driver, but someone who has played one on the big screen.

In recent hours, it has emerged that Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt secretly took part in a test in Austin, driving the 2023 McLaren. The Hollywood star has been a regular presence in the Formula 1 paddock ever since the announcement of F1 – The Movie (here’s our early review). In the film, the star drives a modified Formula 2 car.

After the Canadian Grand Prix and the movie’s premiere in New York, McLaren stayed in the United States to carry out a TPC (Testing Previous Cars) session in Texas. On Thursday, Pitt had the honor of driving a real Formula 1 single-seater at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

“A Sonny day in Austin”
On the same day, McLaren hinted at the “special driver,” posting on social media a picture of a race suit with the initials BP, referring to Brad Pitt. The caption read: “It’s a Sonny day in Austin.” A play on words between “Sonny” (the name of the character played by the actor in the film) and “sunny”.

After the film’s world premiere, Brad Pitt headed to Austin. At COTA, Norris showed the American actor the MCL60 that he would go on to drive on Thursday.