Lando Norris, current Formula 1 champion, completed his first full test with the McLaren MCL-HY Le Mans Hypercar at the Algarve circuit in Portugal on Monday. The test session comes after the Spanish Grand Prix, where Norris was unable to achieve victory due to a bad moment with the Virtual Safety Car.
During the test, Norris completed a total of 38 laps, covering 177 miles behind the wheel of the powerful V6 engine vehicle. Additionally, the British driver participated in the development of some components, bringing his valuable experience gained in Formula 1.
The driver was accompanied by Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor, McLaren drivers expected for 2027, who also carried out development work to prepare the British brand’s debut in hypercar racing.
Norris expressed his gratitude to the team, highlighting that it was exciting to test a new vehicle and that it had been a fun day. ‘I have spent a long time without doing a test that is not in a Formula 1 car, so it has been special to be part of the McLaren family in this new project,’ he commented.
Future prospects
Recently, Zak Brown, head of McLaren Racing, expressed interest in the possibility that Norris and Oscar Piastri could debut together in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, this opportunity will depend on avoiding conflicts with Norris’s commitments in Formula 1.
Although the WEC 2027 calendar was announced three months ago, with Le Mans scheduled for the weekend of June 12-13, the Formula 1 schedule for next year has not yet been published due to instability in Western Asia.
Comments from the officials
James Barclay, director of the McLaren Hypercar team, stated that they were pleased with Norris’s performance during the test. ‘Lando showed a great ability to adapt and provided useful feedback for the improvement of the vehicle. We are happy to have had him with us and look forward to seeing him again soon in our hypercar team,’ he stated.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
