Verstappen said the economics of junior racing had made schemes like Norris’s necessary.
“It’s tough at the moment, costs are rising. So the more you can help them, the better it is. Some real talents, they don’t have a lot of money, so to be able to create these kind of initiatives is great,” he told RacingNews365.
Norris co-founded LN4 Fusion on 2 September, unveiling the project at an event in Italy during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. The team has acquired selected assets from AIX Racing and will debut in 2027 in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, the Formula Regional European Championship and the Italian F4 series. An application for Formula 2 admission has also been submitted.
Running in parallel with the team is the LN4 Legacy Programme, a fully-funded independent scholarship route personally financed by Norris and operated by ADD Management under Julian Rouse.
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“I want to help create opportunities for the next generation, both on and off the track, and hopefully make a real difference to young drivers coming through the sport,” Norris said on the day of the launch.
Verstappen prefers the sim to the pit wall
Asked whether he might follow Norris into single-seater team ownership, Verstappen was blunt.
“No, not really, not from my side. I enjoy the endurance side of things and combining endurance and Formula cars is very hectic. I enjoy more to be on the other side, working with established drivers, but also young guys that are finding that it is a crazy world,” he said.
The Dutchman pointed to his own sim company as the vehicle for his work with junior drivers.
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“We can prepare them through the sim company we have as well. We are anyway training a lot of Formula 2, 3 and 4 drivers. I’m very happy with what I’m doing.”
Rosin and Hazlewood run the racing side
The venture is not a solo effort. Dan Richards leads the investment group overseeing corporate strategy, with René Rosin as Team Principal on the Italian side and Dan Hazlewood in charge of UK operations, Formula 1 confirmed at the launch.
The AIX Racing takeover gives LN4 Fusion an existing F3 operation to build on. AIX retained its F3 entry through the end of the 2027 season.
Norris, who signed a long-term contract extension with McLaren through 2030 at the same time as launching the team, tied the two announcements together.
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“You need the right people around you, the right support and the right opportunities at the right time. That’s what these two projects are all about,” he said.
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