Lando Norris will drive McLaren’s MCL-HY Le Mans Hypercar at the Algarve International Circuit on Monday, his second run in the car after the public shakedown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
The test comes 24 hours after the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s Madring, where Norris finished third behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. McLaren’s development team, which has been rotating a group of endurance specialists through the car, will use the reigning Formula 1 world champion’s feedback to sharpen a project that is edging toward its competitive debut.
McLaren enters the FIA World Endurance Championship’s top Hypercar class in 2027, the manufacturer’s first top-tier endurance push since the F1 GTR won the Le Mans 24 Hours three decades ago. The MCL-HY is powered by a V6 twin-turbo engine producing 697 hp, with a Dallara-built chassis carrying bodywork designed by McLaren.
“Do Le Mans, now McLaren are doing Le Mans”
Norris has repeatedly floated the idea of racing at Le Mans without setting a date. In a McLaren video released in May 2026, he put it as plainly as he ever has.
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“You know, I still feel like I want to go and try other things. Do Le Mans, now McLaren are doing Le Mans, so maybe go and do that at some point.”
His verdict after climbing out of the MCL-HY at Goodwood two months later was warmer still, as the FIA WEC noted at the time.
“It’s a lot of fun and very special,” he said, calling the effort “a big project for McLaren obviously to start its journey towards Le Mans.”
He also held out the possibility of a proper race outing.
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“One day, you never know, maybe I’ll get to drive it on a racetrack and really see what it can do.”
United Autosports runs the program
McLaren has partnered with United Autosports to operate the WEC entry, with Chris Dyer as technical director and Neil Oatley consulting on design. The 2026 test roster has featured Mikkel Jensen, Laurens Vanthoor, Grégoire Saucy, Richard Verschoor and Ben Hanley.
Portimão itself has extra pull for McLaren beyond the hypercar work. The team ran its current F1 car at the venue after the Hungarian Grand Prix in July with Norris, Oscar Piastri and reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli to bank data at a circuit F1 has not visited since 2021.
Next stop: Baku
Norris sits fourth in the drivers’ standings after Madrid, with Antonelli 81 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell at the top of the table. The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs on Saturday 26 September, pulled forward by 24 hours to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day.
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