Lando Norris reveals non-F1 plans with Andrea Stella joke

Lando Norris has revealed that he is eager to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours with McLaren, although jokingly saw team principal Andrea Stella shaking his head at the idea.

Norris has made no secret of his desire to branch out beyond Formula 1, and McLaren's forthcoming entry into the World Endurance Championship has given him the perfect excuse to dream big.

The reigning world champion has repeatedly expressed his ambition to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours, and with McLaren set to enter the WEC's Hypercar class from 2027 with the MCL-HY, the opportunity is edging closer to reality. 

Norris has already sampled the LMDh machine in a demonstration run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, fuelling speculation about a future competitive outing.

The idea of a current F1 driver tackling La Sarthe is not without precedent. Fernando Alonso won the race outright with Toyota in 2018, and Nico Hulkenberg claimed a famous overall victory with Porsche in 2015 during his Force India days. 

Whether Norris could realistically fit a Le Mans programme into an increasingly demanding F1 calendar is another matter entirely. 

Max Verstappen has expressed a similar desire to compete in the French endurance classic but has acknowledged that the modern F1 schedule makes proper preparation near-impossible.

 McLaren's WEC debut season in 2027 features nine rounds across the globe, and any involvement from Norris would require careful negotiation around his primary commitments.

Asked if he wants to race at Le Mans and in other sports car events with McLaren one day, Norris told the official Goodwood broadcast: "That's the plan. One day. I don't know how far away it is. 

"I don't know if it's going to be in two years, three years, four years or 10 years. But, like I said, I'm a fan of racing, so I want to try a bit of everything. 

"With Valentino [Rossi], I said I want to try a bike. Andrea [Stella] is here, so he's shaking his head."