Lando Norris had little time to reflect on his crushing disappointment at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, with a rather special outing for McLaren waiting ahead of him.
The reigning World Champion started the race at the brand-new Madring circuit on pole position, but an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car whilst pitting saw his chances of victory banished to fantasy.
Norris was therefore forced to settle for third place behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, the Brit cutting an understandably disconsolate figure after the race.
But the McLaren man was forced to put his woes behind him with a short trip over the border to Portugal, to sample the McLaren MCL-HY – the Woking-based squad’s highly-anticipated Hypercar.
Norris has already driven the car, which will contest the 2027 World Endurance Championship, in a show run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, but at the Portimao circuit – a returnee to next year’s F1 calendar – was a little more serious.
Joined by two of its forthcoming line-up – Mikkel Jansen and Laurens Vanthoor – Norris completed 38 laps of the circuit to aid its development ahead of its debut season.
Lando Norris looking forward to further Hypercar outing after ‘very special’ test
After the test, Norris described the opportunity as “very special,” and spoke of his hope of being afforded another chance to drive the car at a later stage.
“First of all, a big thanks to the McLaren Hypercar Team for letting me drive the MCL-HY,” he 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.”
James Barclay, Team Principal of the McLaren Hypercar Programme, said: “We are all racers at McLaren Racing, and competing in Formula 1, INDYCAR and the World Endurance Championship creates exciting cross-series opportunities.
“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.”
Norris will be back in familiar territory next weekend as he will seek to overturn his Madring disappointment at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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