McLaren has revealed that ahead of the global release of F1 The Movie, the team welcomed Brad Pitt to the Circuit of the Americas for a private day of testing behind the wheel of the MCL60.

The Oscar-winning actor, who has been filming the F1-inspired movie over the past two years - including scenes shot on location at McLaren - took up the opportunity offered by Zak Brown to experience the thrill of driving McLaren's 2023 challenger.

Last month, he visited McLaren Technology Centre in Woking for engineering meetings, a seat fitting and an intensive simulator session ahead of making his track debut in Austin.

"I got to hit 197 (miles per hour)," he told the Beyond the Grid podcast this week following his run. "I really wanted to hit 200, it hurts me a little bit. Three miles per hour short on the straight.

"I've never experienced anything that's just a more feeling of presence in my life because you're so focused, but you're not white knuckling," he added. "You're just in this, like, 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 roller coaster, but that's not even right because you feel a 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.

"I can't thank Zak Brown and the team enough, I spent the day out with Lando... what a high."

In the movie, of which there has been a surprising lack of publicity, especially in the dedicated F1 media, dubbed "the greatest that never was", Sonny Hayes (Pitt) was Formula 1's most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident nearly ended his career.

Thirty years later, he's a nomadic racer-for-hire when he's approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse.

Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to Formula 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He'll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team's hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace.

But as the engines roar, Sonny's past catches up with him and he finds that in Formula 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition, and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

The movie also stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon (great in The Banshees of Inisherin, though the miniature donkey stole every scene), Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia (great in the first two series of The Bridge), and Javier Bardem, and was shot during Grand Prix weekends as the APX GP team competed against the genuine titans of the sport.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by JamesD, 4 hours ago

"@kenji - Valtteri Bottas recorded 378 KPH (234.9 MPH in real money) on the straight at Azerbaijan during 2016 qualifying"

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2. Posted by kenji, 13 hours ago

"@Chester...I have driven at 245 kph in a straight line so 312 kph in a straight line in an F1 car is, IMO, not that impressive. All things considered. Moto GP bikes at 366 kph is what impresses me. That includes rider and bike!!"

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3. Posted by Chester, 14 hours ago

"197 mph down COTA's back straight to turn 12 is very fast. Not sure how much faster he could have gone. Impressive. "

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Brad Pitt drives COTA in MCL60

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