HOT SHOTS: Real F1.

Movie start Brad Pitt did a lot of racetrack driving for the F1 movie which hits Australian screens today.

But the cars he drove were modified F2 racers, tweaked to look like the contenders from the fictional APX GP team.

Now he has had a go at the real thing, not as Sonny Hayes but as Brad Pitt, thanks to an exclusive private test session with McLaren at the Circuit of the Americas in a 2023-specification MCL60.

There are no reports of lap times or laps covered, but Pitt had an intensive simulator session at the McLaren race base in the UK that included a proper seat fitting and tailoring of a fireproof suit to prepare for the drive.

Pitt is now hooked and says he wants another go after 'only' cracking 197 miles-per-hour (317km/h) during his track laps, falling just short of his target of 200.