Norris builds his own pathway to F1

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has launched a new racing team that will compete across junior motorsport from 2027. Norris, who races in F1 for McLaren, has established LN4 Fusion alongside Fusion Motorsport, a squad poised to run across Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula 4 in the coming years.

The outfit is built to give young drivers a clear ladder from go-karting up the single-seater ranks toward F1. LN4 Fusion has appointed Rene Rosin — the former boss of the successful Prema operation — as team principal, with ex-Prema technical chief Guillaume Capietto joining as racing director.

Confirmed entries and a funded scheme

The team has already confirmed entries in Italian F4, the Formula Regional European Championship (a tier between F4 and F3) and the FIA F3 series for next year. The F3 place was secured after the group acquired selected assets of AIX Racing, which holds a grid slot on the F1 undercard. An application to race in F2, the final step before F1, is also underway.

Launch images of the LN4 Fusion cars — bearing Norris's initials and his customary racing number — showed a livery in his signature fluorescent yellow and the graphics used on his helmet. Alongside the team, Norris has created a fully-funded driver development scheme, the LN4 Legacy Programme, operated by his management and overseen by Julian Rouse, a junior-motorsport veteran who previously worked in F1 with Alpine.

"LN4 Fusion is about building a race team that can compete with the best in junior motorsport, with great people and a great environment for drivers to develop," Norris said in a statement. "The LN4 Legacy Programme is about helping talented young drivers get opportunities they might not otherwise have. For me, they naturally fit together. 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."

Champion's backing welcomed by F1

Norris, 26, won his maiden F1 world title last year and recently signed a long-term McLaren contract through the end of 2030, with an option to extend. He is not the first driver to branch into ownership — four-time champion Max Verstappen runs Verstappen Racing in sports cars and sim racing — but Norris's project spans nearly the entire junior pyramid.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali called it "an incredible statement on how much the pyramid of Formula 3 and Formula 2 is crucial to the future of Formula 1. Through Lando's investment and experience, we can build a future, with new drivers, engineers, mechanics, and a tradition that will be followed by motorsport lovers." F2 and F3 CEO Bruno Michel added: "Lando has been the first Formula 1 world champion coming from Formula 2, and to have him involved in one of our teams is extremely positive. I am certain that this will be a serious project and they will bring a lot of expertise to our championship. I'm also glad to see René Rosin back in our paddock, with this new challenge."