Other Sport / Formula 1
Bristol-born racing driver to compete in next season’s F1
A teenage racing driver who was born in Bristol says it is “a dream come true” to be driving for the McLaren Formula 1 team next season.
Lando Norris has been part of the McLaren Young Driver Programme since 2017, when he officially joined the team as test and simulator Driver.
Most recently, the 18-year-old has driven in the first free practice sessions at both the Belgium and Italy Grand Prixs.
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Norris will be partnering Spaniard Carlos Sainz in the McLaren driver lineup next season, and for now is also contending the Formula 2 Championship in which he currently sits second.
Prior to joining McLaren, Norris rose rapidly through the ranks in junior racing categories, winning the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series Championship all in 2016, in addition to five karting championships in the four previous years.
Last year, he contested the European Formula 3 Championship, which he won at the first attempt.
Norris said: “To be announced as a race driver for McLaren is a dream come true. Although I’ve been part of the team for a while now, this is a special moment, one I could only hope would become reality…
“For the remainder of 2018, my focus remains firmly on the Formula 2 championship. My objective is to win the title before joining McLaren full-time, which will be tough, but I will fight as hard as I can for the remaining four races.
“I’ll also be working closely with McLaren at every opportunity to learn as much as possible from the drivers, engineers and mechanics to give myself the best preparation ahead of next year.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown added: “We believe Lando is an exciting talent, full of potential, who we’ve very deliberately kept within the McLaren fold for exactly that reason.
“We already know he’s fast, he learns quickly, and has a mature head on his young shoulders. We see much potential for our future together.
“The investment we have made in his budding career with simulator development and seat-time in the car has been well-deserved, as he has continued to prove his abilities both behind the wheel and in his work with the engineering team.”
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