Lando Norris has expressed keen interest in competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, potentially joining the growing list of Formula 1 drivers venturing into endurance racing. The McLaren driver’s comments come as his team prepares to return to the World Endurance Championship with their hypercar program starting in 2027, presenting a natural opportunity for the British driver to tackle motorsport’s most prestigious endurance event.
Speaking in a McLaren YouTube video, Norris acknowledged the timing of the team’s WEC entry and his own ambitions beyond F1. “You know, I still feel like I want to go and try other things. Do Le Mans, now McLaren are doing Le Mans, so maybe go and do that at some point,” he explained. The 2024 Formula 1 runner-up emphasized he hasn’t finalized all his future plans, noting his relatively young age and potential family considerations down the line.
The timing could align perfectly for Norris, as the 2026 Le Mans race conflicts with the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Barcelona on June 13. However, the 2027 edition would provide ample preparation time and allow him to compete in McLaren’s new MCL-HY GTR hypercar, which the team recently unveiled in promotional materials showing the papaya-colored machine racing at sunset.
McLaren’s Le Mans history includes a memorable victory in 1995, when Yannick Dalmas, JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya drove the McLaren F1 GTR to triumph. That success helped McLaren achieve the rare Triple Crown of Motorsport, having also conquered Monaco/F1 championships and the Indianapolis 500. CEO Zak Brown highlighted this unique position following the hypercar reveal, stating that McLaren Racing now has “three race cars ready to contest the biggest motorsport series in the world; Formula 1, IndyCar and WEC.”
Norris’s endurance racing interest follows the trend set by Max Verstappen, who recently competed in his first 24-hour race at the Nurburgring despite ultimately being denied victory. The appeal of multi-discipline competition continues to attract F1’s top talents, with Le Mans representing the ultimate endurance challenge that could showcase Norris’s abilities beyond single-seater racing.