Lando Norris Drives McLaren Hypercar as Le Mans Talk Grows

Following a full circuit outing at Portimão in McLaren’s new endurance prototype, the F1 world champion has added fresh momentum to talk of a future start in the world’s most famous 24-hour race 

Lando Norris may have left Madrid frustrated after seeing victory slip away despite a superb pole position, but the McLaren Formula 1 driver wasted little time switching focus from Grand Prix business to endurance machinery.

On Monday, September 14, Norris travelled to the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão for his first full circuit test in McLaren’s MCL-HY, the British marque’s LMDh Hypercar set to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027.

The Briton completed 38 laps of the Portuguese venue in the V6-powered prototype, covering 177 miles as McLaren used the run to evaluate development items and gather feedback from one of its leading single-seater reference points.

Norris worked alongside confirmed 2027 McLaren WEC drivers Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor, both of whom continued the programme as the team builds towards its Hypercar debut.

“First of all, a big thanks to the McLaren Hypercar Team for letting me drive the MCL-HY,” Norris said. “It was great for them to give me a chance to have a bit of fun and try something new, particularly during their busy preparations for next year.”

“I think we also collected some valuable data, and I hope I was able to bring a different set of feelings, comments and perspectives on things, which is useful for the team in this crucial testing period.”

“It was cool for me personally to work with this team, and it was exciting to try new machinery too. I’ve not done a proper test in anything other than an F1 car for years now, so the fact I got to try something different, especially still as part of the McLaren family, was very special.”

“It was a fun day in a quick car on a cool track, helping the team prepare for the start of WEC next year. A big thanks to everyone involved, I can’t wait to get back in the car in the future.”

The Portimão outing marked Norris’s second taste of the MCL-HY after his demonstration run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, where he was limited to the hillclimb rather than a conventional circuit. Even so, that first appearance had already created a stir inside McLaren.

James Barclay, McLaren’s Hypercar team principal, later recalled that the reaction from engineers watching remotely was immediate. “Lando Norris had shown real interest in driving it,” Barclay said of the Goodwood run. “He had a simulator briefing and then got straight into the car without any prior test. The McLaren is not easy to handle; it is quite complex. He had a slight spin after going off, nothing serious, but our hearts skipped a beat for a moment.”

The more significant question is what the test means beyond development mileage. For now, McLaren has not announced any race programme for Norris in the MCL-HY, but the timing inevitably feeds speculation over a possible future Le Mans appearance.

That idea is not without context. Norris has never hidden his interest in endurance racing and contested the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona with United Autosports, the operation that will run McLaren’s MCL-HY programme in the WEC. His team-mates then included Phil Hanson and Fernando Alonso, underlining a connection between the McLaren ecosystem and major long-distance racing projects.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has previously expressed interest in putting Norris and Oscar Piastri into the World Endurance Championship’s blue-riband event, although any such plan would almost certainly depend on an additional entry and a favourable alignment of Formula 1, WEC and other calendars.

Barclay struck an open but measured tone after Monday’s running. “We are all racers at McLaren Racing, and competing in Formula 1, INDYCAR and the World Endurance Championship creates exciting cross-series opportunities,” he said.

“Lando was keen to drive the MCL-HY beyond his Goodwood Hill run, so we invited him to join our private Portimão test. As we fully expected, he adapted very quickly, integrated seamlessly and provided valuable feedback to support the car’s development.”

“It was a pleasure to have him with the team, we wish him every success for the rest of the Formula 1 season, and we look forward to welcoming him back into the McLaren Hypercar Team soon.”

For 2027, McLaren has so far confirmed Jensen and Vanthoor, while Alex Lynn and Malthe Jakobsen are understood to be candidates to complete the full-season line-up. The team could operate with four regular drivers for six-hour WEC rounds, where two drivers per car are permitted, leaving the possibility of high-profile additions for Le Mans if logistics allow.

That is where Norris remains the headline possibility. McLaren is believed to be exploring a Le Mans line-up that could include the Briton and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who has joined McLaren’s American programme after a long spell with Chip Ganassi Racing. 

Nothing is yet settled, however: the proposal would depend on race calendars, available entries and the final shape of McLaren’s WEC roster. Until those pieces fall into place, Norris’s Portimão test should be read as a serious development contribution first — and a tantalising Le Mans signal second.