'Best day of my tv career!' - But how did Brundle rate Brad Pitt's driving?

Martin Brundle says Brad Pitt made an "impressive" debut in a Formula 1 car as the pair drove a 2023 McLaren in Austin.

Following Pitt's starring role in the recently released F1: The Movie, McLaren gave the Hollywood icon the opportunity to drive the MCL60, used during the 2023 F1 season by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Sky Sports F1's Brundle, who drove for team in 1994, was also given the chance to drive the McLaren at Circuit of the Americas, the track that hosts the United States Grand Prix.

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Brundle said: "He (Pitt) was good, he was solid out there. It's not easy to just jump in. There's a lot going on.

"It was a magnificent experience, and I thought Brad was a lovely bloke who did a great job in there.

"I asked him if he fancied a bit of racing and he'd obviously thought about it, he was like, 'I'm not sure about the side-to-side, the wheel-to-wheel racing.'"

During filming for the movie, on which Lewis Hamilton worked as a producer, Pitt and co-star Damson Idris drove modified F2 cars that were made to resemble F1 cars, but had never had the opportunity to try out the real thing.

Brundle added: "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 just wanted to know more and more.

"It was one of the best days of my tv career, no it wasn't, it was the best!"

Brown: Brundle provided useful feedback

McLaren chief executive Brown praised Pitt's commitment to the opportunity and also revealed that Brundle was able to provide feedback that he and Andrea Stella believe could help Norris and Piastri.

"It was our pleasure. We knew you'd bring her back in one piece," Brown said to Brundle during Sky Sports F1's coverage of the British Grand Prix.

"Andrea and I were speaking about it the other day, and some of the feedback you gave us on driver mindset stuff was quite interesting and quite useful, so we got value out of it ourself as well.

"There's a reason why Martin got paid to go motor racing, but I would say that Brad did an awesome job, and he was very serious about it.

"I talked to him afterwards, he wanted to look at his data. I think Brad's a better actor than racing driver, but in all seriousness, he did a very good job."

Hamilton: Last thing we want right now is a sequel

Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who was an instrumental figure in the project, has warned against rushing out a sequel.

The movie has been a success in cinemas, generating $293m (£218m) at the global box office after 10 days of release to become Apple's highest-grossing film to date.

Despite that success, Hamilton insisted it would be important to "take our time" if a follow-up is to happen.

He said: "We literally just finished it. I think the last thing we want right now is a sequel.

"It's been four years in the making, it was a lot of work, particularly for (director) Joe (Kosinski). It's time away from your family, it's time away from the kids. You need this to just simmer for a while, you know? Let's enjoy it.

"I think the worst thing we could do is to rush into doing a sequel. Most sequels are way worse. I think if we do do a sequel, I would say let's really, really take our time in getting it even better.

"I've asked them to do a debrief. Let's review what we did, what we could've done better. I don't know if they do that in the movie business, but it's something obviously I've learned from [F1]. So I want to try to apply that to future programmes."

F1 takes a brief break before the season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix as the Sprint format returns, live on Sky Sports F1 on July 25-27. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime.