GET THE LATEST UPDATES ON WHAT'S HAPPENING AT GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

For Lando Norris, 2018 could prove a pivotal year in helping him to achieve his dream of reaching Formula One.

The 18-year-old Glastonbury racer begins his maiden Formula Two campaign in Bahrain this weekend and will be among the favourites to clinch a title that would sit alongside the European Formula Three crown he achieved last year.

Having been signed as the McLaren F1 team’s reserve driver for the 2018 season – replacing Jenson Button – Norris knows that another strong year could help propel him to the pinnacle of motorsport.

He said: “It’s another year for me to be able to show what I’ve got.

“I have to prove a bit because McLaren want me to do well but they want me to learn in F2 and prove to them that I am capable of driving in F1.

“I don’t need to prove my speed to them, but I do need to show them that I am learning and that I can compete.”

(Image: James Gasperotti)

Norris has made the jump up to F2 with the Carlin team that took him to the F3 crown in 2017, and with testing having delivered some promising results, he is confident that he can achieve a podium finish in one of two races in Bahrain.

He will be up against stiff competition in last season’s runner-up Artem Markelov and race winners Nyck de Vries, Luca Ghiotto and Antonio Fuoco, while fellow highly rated Brits George Russell and Jack Aitken have also entered the series having finished first and second in last season’s GP3 series.

Norris may not be in one of F2’s established teams, with the dominant Prema team that has taken Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly to titles in the past two seasons once again expected to be strong, but he is optimistic that both he and Carlin will adapt to their new task quickly.

He added: “The title is harder to visualise than the F3 title because we had more testing last year.



“Carlin have raced in F2 in the past, but this is a whole new car. They were a little bit behind Prema when they were last in the series two seasons ago, so it is not like the position they are in in F3, but I think we can improve with the new car throughout the season.

“I would love to say that we can win the championship, and I showed in F3 with the same team last year how much stronger we got in the second half of the season and we went on to win that title.

“Once we get past Bahrain we will get a better understanding of exactly where we lie.”

(Image: Getty Images)





Given his fast growing profile in the world of motorsport, the off-season has been a busy one for Norris, who spent his winter racing in the world famous Daytona 24 Hour endurance race, in which he shared a car with double F1 world champion and McLaren race driver Fernando Alonso.

Although brake problems prevented them from challenging for victory, the chance to work alongside a man that many consider to be the best in the world is one that the former Millfield School pupil has relished.

Norris said: “I really enjoyed Daytona. It’s so different to what I was used to but it was a very fun experience,

“I had two very good teammates [Alonso and Phil Hanson] and it was awesome to be able to share the car with Fernando and to get to learn from him, in terms of how to approach the weekend, and I can take a lot from that.

“The race itself was a bonus, it was an extra race for me to do and learn from, it was my first endurance race and I really enjoyed it. The only thing for me now is that I would love to do another one.

“Fernando’s been very good. We get along very well and he has been very open to helping me and helping the team improve.

“He’s always said to me that if I have any questions, just to ask him. He knows that I’m not a threat to his career. He only sees having me in the team as a benefit and he’s very supportive.”