Speaking with BBC Radio 1 ’s Greg James, the actor was asked to clear up a rumor that he had gotten behind the wheel of Norris’ #23 McClaren. Confirming that F1 did indeed give him that experience, Pitt was also happy to share Lando Norris’s brief words of encouragement:

Javier Bardem, who plays Ruben Cervantes, points out Idris and Pitt likely felt more pressure filming during the live races in front of hundreds of thousands of people. But he says the crew’s “work” wasn’t lost on him.

As Formula 1 continues to have discussions about the future of its U.S. media rights, the racing property is hoping the strong opening for a new feature film starring Brad Pitt may be just the thing to help push those talks over the finish line.