F1 Throwback: When Red Bull Gave Hollywood Star Tom Cruise a Need for Speed

Hollywood action star Tom Cruise is a well-known adrenaline junkie. So, when the Red Bull team offered him a chance to hop into their F1 car, he was not about to turn down an opportunity. The Hollywood star turned up at the Willow Springs circuit in style, on board a helicopter while David Coulthard gave the car a warm up run.

At the time, Cruise was shooting Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, but managed to take a break from shooting. Coulthard arrived in the United Stated to promote the return of F1 to American soil. So, Cruise grabbed the Bull by the horns and had a run in the car.

Red Bull driver David Coulthard showed him the basics

Obviously, since this was Cruise’ first time in an F1 car, the Scotsman helped him out and explained some of the basics. Finally, the American actor got his run underway.

Needless to say, the former F1 driver was thoroughly impressed with his work ethic. He noted that Cruise listened and absorbed all the information and converted it onto the track. Luckily for everyone, Tom Cruise has some track experience, so he could adapt to the Red Bull car easily.

Initially, he took it easy in the opening laps, but gradually increased his speed as he settled in. In the end, he was a mere 4 miles an hour slower than Coulthard. His lap time improvement was around 11 seconds, which is fairly impressive.

Admittedly, Tom Cruise had a big off and ended up off the track. However, he kept the car running, got back onto the tarmac and returned to the pit lane. Surprisingly, the actor was still full of adrenaline after completing his F1 laps. So he did a few tricks in the helicopter!

All in all, it appeared to be a truly enjoyable day for the American actor and the Red Bull F1 team.