The McLaren Formula One team has confirmed that 17 year old Lando Norris will become their official Formula One test and reserve driver for the rapidly approaching 2018 F1 Championship season.
As their test and reserve driver, Lando will become a fully engaged member of the race team. He will attend GP's, working closely with the drivers, engineering and marketing teams as he develops and expands his understanding of the role of a modern Formula One driver.
He will also attend and take part in the team's test 2018 programme, with active roles both on the track and in the simulator.
“I'm so excited to be joining McLaren as test and reserve driver for 2018. The last 12 months have been an incredible journey for me – I've enjoyed every single minute – and this is just an amazing way to bring the year to an end,” he said.
“I'm really looking forward to helping the team, starting next week with the tyre test at Interlagos, and I will work harder than ever to learn and develop across the next year. I have two excellent teachers in Fernando and Stoffel, and I will do my best to help with the team's efforts to get back to the front.”
“I'm still working hard to finalise my own racing programme for 2018 – we're close on a number of different fronts, but not quite there yet. I hope to be able to announce something shortly.”
Lando has been a member of the McLaren Young Driver programme since the start of 2017, and today's announcement crowns a hugely impressive 12 months for the 17 year old.
Last December, he won the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, an accolade renowned for putting promising young talent on the motorsport map.
In August, he impressed hugely on his Formula 1 test debut at the Hungaroring, spending a day developing the MCL32. Then, last month, he won the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, at his very first attempt. Now, he is currently assessing the opportunities and budgets required for a full single-seater racing campaign in 2018
