With Top Gun Maverick just around the corner, let’s check out the time the A-listener drove for Red Bull.
The events took place not only on a ranch owned by Circuit of America supporter Red McCombs, but also in front of the Texas State Capitol Building and on the dusty Grand Prix grounds.
On Monday, August 15, 2011, Tom Cruise, who starred in the infamous NASCAR films Days of Thunder, accepted an invitation to test the Red Bull Racing F1 car in Southern California.
In addition to the expert David Coulthard, who was accompanied by a team of 12 who flew in from Milton Keynes to the route.
Tom Cruise, Red Bull Racing F1. # f1testing pic.twitter.com/ZQP0EGQjrb
– Demetriou Neto (@NetoDemetriou) July 3, 2021
Maverick completed 24 laps during the seven-hour session, which began with Cruise and Coulthard driving a car across the track to familiarize themselves with the racing lines before Coulthard showed Cruise the intricacies of the F1 machine.
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“For someone who is so skilled in his main career, he can take in information very quickly and then repeat it on the racetrack,” said the 13-time Grand Prix winner.
“He’s driven a lot of tracks and done a lot of laps. So he has the visual, he understands how to get the car around the racetrack … it was remarkable how quickly he was up to speed, “said the 13-time winner after witnessing Tom’s performance.
Neck to neck with Coulthard
Aside from a single incident where Cruise slipped off the track and slid into the dirt, he was only 6.4 km / h slower than Coulthard’s regular pace at 291 km / h. On his last lap, his lap time had improved by a remarkable 11 seconds
“Tom is the real deal. I was surprised that he recognized it so quickly and that he is such an accomplished driver, ”said Coulthard.
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“His memory was amazing considering how complicated it is to drive an F1 car. He’s a guy who really pushes the envelope in real life. This day was not shielded green. He impressed me very much. “
The roster was already there in 2021 when Tom Cruise met David Coulthard and Mark Webber ahead of the Silverstone GP in Great Britain.
Silverstone grid… P1 @TomCruise #BritishGP Live, arriving at 1:30 p.m. @ Channel4 # C4F1 # F1 pic.twitter.com/aUwPLPqIF4
– Channel 4 F1® (@ C4F1) July 18, 2021
