Norris tackles the Nurburgring Nordschleife for the first time in a McLaren 750S

Lando Norris navigated the Nurburgring Nordschleife for the first time during a McLaren filming day, weaving a road-legal 750S through tourist traffic on a wet track in a session that has since been captured in six minutes of onboard footage released by the team. Oscar Piastri was also in attendance, with both drivers eventually turning to exploratory laps of the 20.8-kilometre circuit.

The 750S produces 740 hp and 590 lb ft of torque from its V8, reaching 60 mph in 2.7 seconds — figures that made the greasy asphalt a genuine handful during the Touristenfahrten private session. Norris’s commentary throughout the lap underlined the challenge, and the comedy, of mixing a supercar with ordinary road-going traffic.

“How many cars are there?! Bloody hell,” Norris said as he picked his way through the field. “Can’t get beat by a BMW, not letting that happen. Oh, I’m way quicker” — before spotting a faster car closing in his mirrors. “My first time! Sorry!”

The power of the McLaren caught him out repeatedly on the slippery surface. “McLaren’s got too much power. McLaren’s got too much power,” he said as the rear tyres fought for grip. A Skoda appearing ahead prompted a different reaction entirely: “Holy moly. There’s a Skoda! Come on, what a legend. Driving a Skoda out on track, what a geezer” — followed, as he accelerated past on the straight, by: “You’re my hero!”

Norris credited the iRacing simulator with giving him a baseline knowledge of the circuit’s layout, though he acknowledged the limitations of his virtual preparation. “I don’t know how much you need to brake for some of these corners. I’ve only really driven this in a Mazda MX-5 online,” he admitted.

The Nordschleife has attracted renewed attention in the F1 paddock following Max Verstappen’s appearance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, where the Dutchman raced in front of a sellout crowd before a mechanical issue ended his run. Norris’s session was considerably less competitive in nature, but the footage offers a rare look at a reigning world champion learning one of motorsport’s most demanding stretches of road in real time.