{"id":2285,"date":"2026-09-14T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=2285"},"modified":"2026-09-14T16:32:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T19:32:57","slug":"norris-tests-mclaren-hypercar-at-portimao-as-wec-boss-keeps-2027-seats-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/endurance\/wec\/norris-tests-mclaren-hypercar-at-portimao-as-wec-boss-keeps-2027-seats-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Norris tests McLaren Hypercar at Portim\u00e3o as WEC boss keeps 2027 seats open"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lando Norris is testing McLaren&#8217;s MCL-HY Hypercar at Portim\u00e3o on Monday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>James Barclay says McLaren has deliberately kept some 2027 seats open while it conducts wider driver evaluations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Norris has repeatedly expressed interest in racing at Le Mans, but no 2027 WEC programme has been confirmed for the F1 champion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lando Norris is back behind the wheel of McLaren&#8217;s MCL-HY at Portim\u00e3o on Monday as speculation continues over whether the Formula 1 world champion could eventually race for the manufacturer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The test at the Algarve International Circuit represents Norris&#8217; first proper circuit running in McLaren&#8217;s new LMDh prototype after he drove the car during its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. The MCL-HY is being developed for McLaren&#8217;s return to the top class of the World Endurance Championship in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing is particularly interesting after McLaren Hypercar team principal James Barclay revealed that the manufacturer has deliberately avoided completing its driver line-up too early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve kept some options open before we lock those decisions in because we have the time,&#8221; Barclay said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a fantastic core group of drivers that we&#8217;re super excited about, and then we&#8217;ve also got some seats that we wanted to keep open for longer while we&#8217;ve got the opportunity to do broader evaluations.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Could Norris race for McLaren at Le Mans?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLaren has so far confirmed Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor for its 2027 WEC programme, leaving further positions available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norris has made no secret of his interest in endurance racing. Earlier this year, he specifically mentioned Le Mans when discussing competitions he would like to experience outside Formula 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLaren&#8217;s return makes that ambition particularly relevant. The Briton already has experience in endurance racing, having contested the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours alongside Fernando Alonso and Phil Hanson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monday&#8217;s Portim\u00e3o appearance does <strong>not<\/strong> mean Norris has been selected for the 2027 Le Mans 24 Hours. McLaren has made no such announcement, and Barclay&#8217;s comments refer more broadly to the team&#8217;s driver evaluation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But giving Norris meaningful track time in the MCL-HY provides McLaren with an opportunity to assess his feedback and adaptation to the prototype while development continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">McLaren says Hypercar programme is on schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MCL-HY has been testing since May as McLaren and United Autosports prepare for one of the most competitive Hypercar fields in WEC history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The car uses a Dallara-based LMDh chassis and McLaren-developed 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, combined with the category&#8217;s standardised hybrid system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barclay recently said McLaren had already completed a 30-hour endurance test and described the early signs from the programme as positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The base of the car is really positive, and the fact that we&#8217;re on schedule and don&#8217;t have any roadblocks is equally important,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Barclay has also cautioned against drawing conclusions about McLaren&#8217;s competitiveness before the car actually races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLaren will return to the top class at Le Mans 32 years after winning the race outright on its debut with the F1 GTR in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether Norris eventually becomes part of that story remains open. For now, Monday&#8217;s Portim\u00e3o test gives both driver and team a considerably more representative opportunity to work together than their first MCL-HY outing at Goodwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Lando Norris testing McLaren&#8217;s WEC Hypercar?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Norris is driving McLaren&#8217;s MCL-HY at Portim\u00e3o on Monday, September 14 as development continues ahead of the manufacturer&#8217;s 2027 WEC entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Could Lando Norris race at Le Mans in 2027?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is possible, but nothing has been confirmed. Norris has expressed interest in racing at Le Mans, while McLaren has deliberately kept some places in its 2027 driver line-up open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who will drive for McLaren in WEC in 2027?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLaren has confirmed Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor. Further drivers for its 2027 Hypercar programme have yet to be announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lando Norris is driving McLaren&#8217;s MCL-HY at Portim\u00e3o on Monday as the manufacturer continues preparations for its 2027 WEC debut, with team principal James Barclay revealing that some seats have deliberately been left open for further evaluation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020315243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"WEC 2026, MCLAREN, MCL-HY, HIPERCARRO, LANDO NORRIS, TESTE. PORTIMAO 4","42wp_featured_image_credits":"McLaren","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[117,503,10,50],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-2285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wec","tag-lando-norris","tag-le-mans","tag-mclaren","tag-wec","42wp_author-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2286,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285\/revisions\/2286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020315243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2285"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=2285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}