Latest update on Norris’s McLaren hypercar outing
This update brings the story up to date as of 29 September 2026. McLaren Racing and the FIA WEC have released behind-the-scenes footage of the Lando Norris McLaren hypercar test at Portimão. It shows the Formula 1 driver behind the wheel of the team’s 2027-spec World Endurance Championship car for the first time. We’ve folded the full detail from that footage into our original coverage of the Portimão test, along with Norris’s own reaction to a very different kind of cockpit.
Nothing here contradicts what we reported at the time. The footage simply gives us a clearer picture of how the day unfolded.
Norris completes initial runs in 2027 MCL-HY at Portimão
Norris arrived at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão alongside McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown for the test. Brown was there to see the 2027 MCL-HY turn its first laps with Norris on board.
According to footage released by McLaren Racing and FIA WEC statements, Norris completed 38 laps of the Algarve circuit, covering 177 km in total. It’s a solid opening outing for a driver more used to the open cockpit of a Formula 1 car than the closed roof of a WEC hypercar.
Lando Norris McLaren hypercar test details and driver reactions
The Lando Norris McLaren hypercar test centred on getting the McLaren driver comfortable in an unfamiliar car. Over 38 laps and 177 km at Portimão, Norris adjusted to a closed cockpit and a driving position very different from his Formula 1 car.
His first reaction was simple. “Bit different, had a roof over my head!” Norris said, after climbing out following his opening run in the MCL-HY. He expanded on that once he’d had more time in the car: “It’s just different to what I’m used to, but good fun.”
Modern hypercars borrow plenty from Formula 1 development, part of the wider transfer of motorsport technologies to performance vehicles. Driving one is still a different discipline to single-seater racing, though, as Norris found out over those 38 laps.
What happens next
McLaren hasn’t confirmed any further test dates for Norris in the 2027 MCL-HY, nor has it suggested he’ll take on a race seat in the World Endurance Championship. For now, this is a single test session, with Zak Brown and the team watching closely as their Formula 1 driver gets to grips with a very different kind of car.
We’ll keep across any developments in McLaren’s WEC programme alongside our recent motorsport talking points, but beyond the Portimão outing, nothing further is confirmed at this stage.
