Lando Norris had his first run in McLaren’s new World Endurance Championship hypercar following the Spanish Grand Prix.
The reigning Formula 1 world champion drove the car at the Autodromo do Algarve in Portugal.McLaren will enter the WEC’s top tier next season. “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,” said Norris.
“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.”
F1 will return to the Algarve circuit next year, for the first time since 2021. Norris previously drove the car in a brief demonstration run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
“It was cool for me personally to work with this team, and it was exciting to try new machinery too,” Norris continued. “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.”
McLaren hypercar team principal James Barclay said “Lando was keen to drive the MCL-HY beyond his Goodwood Hill run, so we invited him to join our private Portimao test.”
“As we fully expected he adapted very quickly, integrated seamlessly and provided valuable feedback to support the car’s development,” he added.
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