McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris is set for another Formula 1 outing at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, ostensibly in place of Stoffel Vandoorne.
Norris made his Grand Prix weekend debut in Belgium on Friday, standing in for regular driver Fernando Alonso during the opening 90-minute session.
Norris placed 18th in the session as he had another taste of the MCL33, following tests in Spain and Hungary earlier this year.
Those outings for the reigning F3 champion and current F2 title contender came after a handful of runs for McLaren in 2017, having joined the team’s young driver programme at the start of the year.
Norris is set to have another chance to prove his 2019 credentials at Monza next weekend, with Vandoorne in line to vacate his MCL33 for the session.
“For now what was planned was that I would step down in FP1 here and Stoffel at Monza, so after that the team will decide,” Alonso told Spanish TV at Spa Francorchamps.
“For me, whatever the team wants to do is fine, because I know all the tracks we’re going to go to and missing the session didn’t hurt my weekend preparations at all.”
Norris is a contender for the vacancy alongside Carlos Sainz Jr., who has already been confirmed as the replacement for the departing Alonso.
Vandoorne, under pressure to retain his seat, was beset by problems during the FP1 session at Spa-Francorchamps in which both ran, prompting the home representative to quip: "Obviously they [McLaren] want to see how we compare, but I think first of all the team should give me a car that is able to run on track before we can be compared."
