Only 22 people on the planet can currently profess to be a full-time F1 driver, but several others are able to say that they have gotten behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car \u2013 including some well-known names from outside of the sport.<\/p>\n
A host of famous faces have been handed the opportunity to drive such machinery over the years, ranging from athletes who have experienced success in other categories of motorsport through to Oscar-nominated actors.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been taking a look back at 10 of those stars who have racked up laps in an F1 car, and how well each of them they fared\u2026<\/p>\n
Brad Pitt<\/p>\n
We begin with one of the most recent occasions where a famous name took the chance to pilot a Formula 1 car. Brad Pitt \u2013 a long-time motorsport fan \u2013 was given a taste of what it might be like to be an F1 driver when he played Sonny Hayes in F1 The Movie<\/a>, a film that proved to be a huge global hit upon its release last year.<\/p>\n To prepare for his role, Pitt underwent training to drive the modified F2 cars that feature as the APXGP machines in the motion picture \u2013 but the actor took things a step further when he later drove McLaren<\/a>\u2019s 2023 Formula 1 challenger during a private day of testing at the Circuit of The Americas.<\/p>\n Pitt went on to speak about the experience on F1\u2019s Beyond The Grid<\/a> podcast, admitting that he was \u201cstill on a high\u201d afterwards as he recalled: \u201cI got to hit 197mph this week. I really wanted to hit 200. You know, it hurts me a little bit \u2013 three miles per hour short on the straight. This was at Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve just never experienced anything that’s just, more feeling of presence in my life. You’re so focused, but you’re not white knuckling. You’re just in this sublime groove. It is really extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n Valentino Rossi<\/p>\n As Pitt would testify, driving a Formula 1 car is clearly a special experience \u2013 something that Valentino Rossi will know all too well, having gotten behind the wheel of the sport\u2019s machinery not just once but on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n The MotoGP legend first tested for Ferrari<\/a> at their Fiorano track back in 2004, with multiple World Champion Michael Schumacher<\/a> watching on. \u201cOf course, it took him a while to get used to it, but he was very impressive by the end of the day,\u201d the German remarked.<\/p>\n Further tests took place in the years that followed, leading to speculation that a switch from two wheels to four might feasibly be on the cards for Rossi. It was a move that the nine-time motorcycling champion ultimately decided against, but his links to Formula 1 did not end there.<\/p>\n In 2019, Rossi and Lewis Hamilton<\/a> participated in the ultimate ride swap, with Rossi driving Hamilton\u2019s 2017 title-winning Mercedes<\/a> W08 while Hamilton hopped onboard the Italian\u2019s 2019 Yamaha MotoGP bike at Spain\u2019s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.<\/p>\n Colin McRae<\/p>\n That machinery switch was not the only time that two names from different categories of motorsport have embarked on a swap, with late rallying legend Colin McRae having enjoyed a run in a Formula 1 car back in 1996.<\/p>\n Months on from becoming the 1995 World Rally Champion, McRae was given the chance to drive a Jordan F1 machine at Silverstone \u2013 an event that coincided with his 28th birthday. As part of the exchange, Jordan driver Martin Brundle<\/a> would get behind the wheel of McRae’s Subaru Impreza 555 rally car.<\/p>\n McRae described his experience in a Formula 1 challenger as \u201cunbelievable\u201d, admitting that, speed aside, \u201ceverything else couldn’t be more unlike rallying\u201d. The Scot completed 20 laps, with his best time being just over two seconds off Brundle\u2019s \u2013 an achievement that Brundle conceded was \u201cvery impressive\u201d.<\/p>\n As for the now-commentator, Brundle took McRae\u2019s rally car for a drive and acknowledged that the skills required were also very different. McRae joined him as co-driver and praised Brundle for being \u201cvery quick\u201d, joking later on that his effort had been \u201cworryingly close to my time\u201d.<\/p>\n Jeff Gordon<\/p>\n The theme of ride swaps continues with our next entry. Jeff Gordon achieved huge success during his extensive NASCAR career, the American claiming the fourth of his Cup Series championships in 2001.<\/p>\n Two years later, Gordon was given the opportunity to pilot an F1 car in a direct switch with Williams<\/a>\u2019 Juan Pablo Montoya<\/a> at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, as part of a television feature.<\/p>\n Gordon\u2019s performance caught the eye of many, with his best time being only around half a second away from Montoya\u2019s during his laps behind the wheel \u2013 leading to what he would later describe as \u201cserious\u201d discussions about the possibility of a full-time switch to Formula 1.<\/p>\n Speaking to F1\u2019s Beyond The Grid<\/a> podcast in 2021, Gordon explained that there had also been talks with the BAR squad ahead of their maiden season some years earlier in 1999 \u2013 but the move never happened. On the other hand, Montoya\u2019s try-out of Gordon\u2019s car would prove prophetic, given that the Columbian later headed to NASCAR in 2006.<\/p>\n Tom Cruise<\/p>\n Brad Pitt is not the only Hollywood star to go from playing a racing driver to \u2013 albeit briefly \u2013 becoming one for real. Many years after starring as a stock car racer in the 1990 movie Days of Thunder, Tom Cruise was given the opportunity to pilot a Formula 1 machine in 2011.<\/p>\n The American is no stranger to speed, having become known for performing his own high-octane stunts in films such as the Mission Impossible series \u2013 but that likely paled in comparison to the 181mph he reached in a Red Bull<\/a> F1 car around the Willow Springs circuit in California.<\/p>\n Cruise was instructed by 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard<\/a> on the day, who was left impressed by just how quickly the actor gained pace across his laps \u2013 his top speed being only 4mph slower than Coulthard\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve no doubt if he really wanted to put some serious time into driving those types of cars, with a few days of proper running he could be running some really good times,\u201d Coulthard remarked of Cruise\u2019s performance<\/a> afterwards.<\/p>\n Marc Marquez<\/p>\n There was another eye-catching motorsport crossover in 2018 when MotoGP champion Marc Marquez became the latest name to test his talent on four wheels, the Spaniard participating in an F1 test run with the then-named Toro Rosso squad.<\/p>\n With Formula 1 race winner Mark Webber<\/a> on hand to advise \u2013 while Red Bull\u2019s then-motorsport advisor Helmut Marko and three-time World Champion Niki Lauda<\/a> watched on \u2013 Marquez drove a 2012-spec car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. His fellow MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa also got behind the wheel later in the day.<\/p>\n Marquez hailed the experience as \u201cunbelievable\u201d, adding that it was an \u201cabsolute highlight of my career\u201d. Webber, meanwhile, said that it was an \u201chonour\u201d to coach the Spanish rider and praised how quickly he had adapted to the car.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s impressive, because obviously Marc is at the top of his game on two wheels and to come to drive a Formula 1 car, the way we generate the lap time is just so different,\u201d Webber explained.<\/p>\n Sebastien Loeb<\/p>\n With nine World Rally Championships under his belt, Sebastien Loeb is famed for being one of the most successful drivers in the category\u2019s history \u2013 and it was in the midst of this incredible run that the Frenchman first tried his hand at Formula 1.<\/p>\n In December 2007, Loeb participated in a car swap with Renault<\/a>\u2019s Heikki Kovalainen as part of a promotional event, where he drove the Enstone-based outfit\u2019s 2006 title-winning R26. The experience was one Loeb conceded had been a \u201cdream come true\u201d.<\/p>\n It would not be the last time that the French driver took a Formula 1 machine for a spin. One year later, Loeb returned to action in a Red Bull test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, driving the team\u2019s RB4 car \u2013 and, out of 17 participants, ended the session an impressive eighth-fastest.<\/p>\n Loeb was subsequently linked with a possible F1 race appearance for Toro Rosso at the 2009 season finale in Abu Dhabi but was ultimately not granted a Super Licence \u2013 meaning that his focus remained on rallying, where he continued to rack up further victories and titles.<\/p>\n Guy Martin<\/p>\n Former motorcycle racer Guy Martin has become known for taking on various challenges since moving into television presenting \u2013 and this saw him participate in a particularly special F1-related feat in 2018.<\/p>\n In an episode of his series Speed with Guy Martin, the Briton spent several months working alongside the Williams Heritage team to restore the 1983 Williams FW08C, before getting to drive it at Silverstone.<\/p>\n To make things even more interesting, Martin would be going head-to-head with 2009 World Champion Jenson Button<\/a>, who would be piloting the six-wheeled FW08B \u2013 a car that never raced due to an update in the regulations ahead of 1983, stipulating that cars would be limited to a maximum of four wheels.<\/p>\n Button perhaps unsurprisingly won the mini race<\/a>, but Martin\u2019s performance seemed to impress those watching on. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok \u2013 who had helped the TV presenter through his training \u2013 said: \u201cHe was sensible, he built up the speed. He looked good out on track.\u201d<\/p>\n Mick Doohan<\/p>\n The Doohan name has been no stranger to Formula 1 during recent years, with Jack Doohan<\/a> racing for Alpine<\/a> across the opening rounds of 2025 before going on to join Haas<\/a> as a reserve driver ahead of the current campaign.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s father Mick Doohan, however, was better known for his success on two wheels, the Australian winning five consecutive 500cc World Championships during the 1990s. His foray into F1 would prove much briefer than his son\u2019s, as the motorcycling legend took part in just one test for a sponsor in 1998.<\/p>\n Doohan got behind the wheel of a Williams machine at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya but spun the car on his first lap \u2013 a fate that he says similarly befell Finnish rally driver Tommi Makinen, who also drove the car during the event.<\/p>\n Reflecting back on the day to F1\u2019s Beyond The Grid<\/a> podcast in 2023, Doohan admitted that the error had infuriated the competitor in him, despite the fact that it was not a path he was interested in. \u201cIt was a great experience, but I had no intention of ever wanting to be a car racer,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Carlos Sainz Snr<\/p>\n Speaking of Formula 1 drivers whose fathers have been titans in other areas of motorsport, Carlos Sainz Jnr<\/a> chose to pursue F1 rather than following Carlos Sainz Snr into the world of rallying, an arena in which the latter achieved many triumphs including two World Rally Championships.<\/p>\n The elder Sainz has since been victorious in the Dakar Rally during more recent years, his last success there occurring in 2024 \u2013 a year that would prove very special for the Spaniard, as he was also given the opportunity to share an F1 track day with his son.<\/p>\n Sainz Snr put in several laps at the wheel of Ferrari\u2019s 2022 challenger, the F1-75 \u2013 the car in which Sainz Jnr claimed his maiden F1 win at Silverstone. The father and son duo also did some runs in formation<\/a> on track at the Fiorano circuit in Italy, a celebratory moment for the family before Sainz Jnr departed the Italian squad for Williams.<\/p>\n