Tom Cruise drives a Red Bull F1 car

That's Tom Cruise, above. A man not to be confused with legendary Australian mailman Tom Kruse, or indeed founder of the Hoveround electric wheelchair company, Tom Kruse.

No, Tom Cruise is a part-time American actor and full-time petrolhead. You may also remember him from Top Gear TV - he popped down to our fashionably shabby studios and posted a ridiculously fast lap for someone who drives on the wrong side of the road. And just yesterday, he was given the opportunity to pilot an 850bhp Red Bull F1 car.

See more pics of Tom Cruise driving a Red Bull F1 car

Tom Cruise - that's Mr to you - was invited by the beverage company to sample the top tier of motorsport at the Willow Springs raceway in Rosamund, California. With instruction from David Coulthard, Tom completed 24 laps over a seven-hour period and reached a top speed of 181mph - just 4mph off Coulthard's top speed - around the 2.5-mile circuit. And it was his very first go in an F1 car.

"Tom's the real deal," says Coulthard. "I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly and is such an accomplished driver."

In fact, Tom managed to improve his lap time by almost eleven seconds from the first lap to the last. "His recall was incredible considering how complicated driving an F1 car is," says Coulthard. "This day was not green screened. He thoroughly impressed me."

Gallery: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz at the Top Gear studio

Yeah, yeah, suppose he's not that bad. After all, he did get a very reasonably priced Korean hatchback onto two wheels...