The McLaren Hypercar completed its first public laps with the reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris at the wheel of the V6 turbo-powered LMDh that is set to challenge for wins in the World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours from 2027 onwards.
The 26-year-old took on the 1.16-mile hillclimb at the Duke of Richmond’s estate twice on Friday. On Saturday, McLaren development driver Gregoire Saucy took over driving duties while Norris jumped into a 2023-spec McLaren MCL60 Formula 1 car.
Both drivers didn’t push too hard on their runs. With the car being brand new, any accident or damage would have caused a massive setback to the technical development program – a scenario McLaren was eager to avoid, drawing memories of Lamborghini's early setbacks with the SC63.
“My first ever drive in the MCL HY, an absolute pleasure here in Goodwood – always a pleasure to be here in Goodwood in the first place – but to drive the McLaren on its debut and one of the first times is an honor,” Norris said.
Taking the hypercar for a spin on the day of its debut 💪#McLaren pic.twitter.com/YaIzgqTJhI
— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) July 10, 2026
“It's a big project for McLaren obviously to start to try head to Le Mans, and I got to have a little taste already, which is very special. I would like to push it a little bit more, it's a little bit daunting to do it here in Goodwood, but one day, one day, you never know.”
“I'll get to drive it on a racetrack and really see what it can do. I’m so very happy, very excited for all the boys and girls that are part of the HY project and yeah, I wish them all the best. It was a lot of fun and I'll see you soon.”
Following its official reveal in May, the McLaren MCL-HY had previously only completed private testing sessions in Italy. Goodwood marked its very first appearance in front of a massive crowd. “The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the greatest car show on Earth, so it made sense for us to have this on our radar,” said Team Principal James Barclay.
“But the truth is, it’s extremely early in our test program so it was very lightly penciled in. However, our team has done an incredible job, hitting every target on- and off-track so we made the last-minute call to divert the MCL-HY to the event for two of the four days and share it with the passionate motorsport fans that attend.”
The McLaren MCL-HY is built around the LMDh spine provided by chassis partner Oreca, which is also used by Acura, Alpine, Genesis and Ford. Power comes from a V6 twin-turbo engine with the spec LMDh hybrid system on the rear axle. In accordance with the regulations, the powertrain delivers a combined maximum output of up to 520 kW.
The team is preparing intensive testing over the coming months, which will include rigorous 30-hour endurance simulations.
“We want to climb Mount Everest and we have made it to base camp,” Barclay had previously stated during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We have prepared exceptionally well, but now the real hard work begins.”
When asked by Motorsport.com about the most challenging aspect of reaching that initial base camp, Barclay replied: “I think the biggest thing is the team. You have to hire a really great group of people, not just anybody.”
“Getting the right group around you is the biggest thing. You can have investments, you can have a race car, but you've got to have the people to make the most of that.”
Development testing duties are primarily spearheaded by Mikkel Jensen. However, the Dane missed out on the Goodwood Festival of Speed due to a scheduling clash with the IMSA SportsCar Championship round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) in Canada.
Alongside Jensen, Laurens Vanthoor has been confirmed as a factory driver, combining his IMSA commitments with Porsche with a race seat in McLaren's WEC campaign.
