McLaren recently made its first public runs with the new endurance prototype. The MCL-HY LMDh was launched earlier this year and will participate in the WEC championship from 2027, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris was allowed to show the hypercar to the public for the first time during the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
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On Friday, Norris took the wheel of the papaya-colored Hypercar and drove the famous hill climb twice. A day later, test driver Grégoire Saucy took over the wheel, while Norris was in action with the McLaren MCL60, the car from the 2023 F1 season. Since the Le Mans car is still in an early development stage, McLaren deliberately held back during the demonstration runs.
The Briton visibly enjoyed his first encounter with the new Hypercar. “It was my very first ride in the MCL-HY,” Norris said afterwards. “It’s always great to be active here at Goodwood, but to make the public debut of this McLaren is an even greater honor. Winning Le Mans is a huge project for the team. It’s very special that I’ve already had a preview.” Norris himself is also flirting with a venture into endurance racing. At Goodwood, he said he dreams of a Le Mans entry with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
Releasing the Hypercar on the track
“I would like to push the car a bit harder,” continued the 26-year-old driver. “Here at Goodwood, it’s still a bit exciting, but who knows, maybe I’ll get that chance someday. I really want to put the car to the test on a circuit and discover what it’s capable of. I’m incredibly happy and excited for everyone involved in the Hypercar project and wish them all the best. I really enjoyed it and hopefully see you soon,” Norris concluded with a wink.
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After the unveiling in May, the MCL-HY had only completed private tests in Italy. According to WEC team principal James Barclay, participation at Goodwood was initially far from certain. “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the biggest motorsport events in the world, so it made sense that we had it on our radar,” he said. “But honestly, we are still very early in our testing program, so this appointment was actually tentative. However, our team did a fantastic job and achieved all objectives on and off the track. At the very last moment, we therefore decided to send the MCL-HY to the event for two of the four days and share it with all passionate motorsport fans.”
Taking the hypercar for a spin on the day of its debut 💪#McLaren pic.twitter.com/YaIzgqTJhI
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— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) July 10, 2026
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