Norris eyes Le Mans dream with childhood hero Rossi as McLaren Hypercar nears

Lando Norris has publicly declared his desire to race alongside Valentino Rossi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the 2025 Formula 1 world champion pointing to McLaren’s incoming Hypercar programme as a genuine route to making it happen. The pair appeared together at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday, where the prospect of sharing a car at the French endurance classic came up directly.

Asked whether he would want to partner Rossi at Le Mans, Norris was unequivocal. “Hell yeah, I would,” the 26-year-old said. Rossi, 47, responded with characteristic dry humour: “I tried to ask him, but they are very busy now, Formula 1 drivers.”

Norris had been on driving duties earlier in the day, taking the McLaren MCL-HY — the Woking marque’s new Hypercar challenger — up the famous Goodwood hill. McLaren is targeting a return to the top class of the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans in 2027, and Norris acknowledged that timeline when mapping out his own ambitions.

“We have too many races, but with McLaren now entering Le Mans, maybe next year… no, not next year,” Norris said. “But maybe in a couple of years, I would love to. It would be an honour for me, and it would be a lot of fun, for sure.”

Rossi, who is currently competing in the GT category of the WEC, left the door firmly open on his side. “I’ll try to wait for Lando,” the nine-time grand prix motorcycle world champion said.

The two were brought together at Goodwood through their mutual sponsor, Monster Energy. Norris has long been an open admirer of Rossi, making the prospect of a shared endurance campaign more than just idle talk between acquaintances.

The comments come during a challenging start to the 2026 F1 season for Norris. Having clinched his maiden championship at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he has found the new-regulation McLaren less competitive this year and currently sits fifth in the drivers’ standings with 97 points after nine rounds.