Norris teases Le Mans future as McLaren prepare for WEC Hypercar entry

McLaren's Lando Norris has revealed he wants to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day, with the team's upcoming WEC Hypercar entry offering a natural pathway. The reigning F1 world champion spoke about his ambition during a recent McLaren YouTube appearance, as the papaya squad prepares its MCL-HY challenger for the 2027 season.

Why it matters:

Norris joining McLaren's Hypercar effort would add star power to the WEC grid and continue the team's pursuit of motorsport's Triple Crown – a feat only McLaren has achieved. CEO Zak Brown has already backed both Norris and Oscar Piastri for future Le Mans outings, signaling a flexible approach to driver assignments.

The details:

• Norris, 26, said: "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 noted he's young and hasn't planned everything yet.
• Former Peugeot driver Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor are the only confirmed McLaren WEC drivers for 2027 so far, making a Norris appearance in the near future unlikely but not impossible.
• Brown told WEC TV last year: "Who doesn't want to win Le Mans? I've talked to Lando and Oscar about it, and they've said they'd love to go race Le Mans. We're the only team to have won the Triple Crown, it'd be cool to go for it again."
• Norris has prior endurance experience: he shared a Ligier JSP217 with Fernando Alonso at the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona, and competed in the virtual Le Mans with Max Verstappen in 2020.

What's next:

While Le Mans remains a long-term goal, Norris recently sampled the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a McLaren 750s during a Pirelli tyre test, calling it "the most fun I've had all year." He also praised Verstappen's recent Nordschleife 24 Hours run, hinting at further interest in GT racing. For now, his focus stays on F1, but the Le Mans door is clearly open.