F1 clash avoided but can Lando Norris or Max Verstappen race at Le Mans 2027?

The announcement of the 2027 Formula 1 calendar on Wednesday has seemingly left the door open for a grand prix drivers to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours next year. The 24-round schedule leaves a comfortable one-week gap for the 95th edition of the French endurance classic, which is slated for the weekend of 12-13 June. Further, the two F1 races on either side of Le Mans are Monaco and Portugal, thus making the trip between the three events relatively straightforward.

However, while a clash has been avoided, the path is still not completely clear for a Max Verstappen or a Lando Norris to make their Le Mans debuts next year. There are still several obstacles which they must overcome to become the first active grand prix driver since Fernando Alonso to race at Le Mans.

The Le Mans test day complication 

While Le Mans itself doesn’t clash with F1, that doesn’t mean there are no overlaps with the rest of the schedule. Crucially, the Le Mans test day on 6 June falls on the same weekend as F1’s Monaco Grand Prix. 

As per the sporting regulations, participation in the Le Mans test day is mandatory for rookies, who must complete 10 laps – including five timed laps – around Circuit de la Sarthe in order to be eligible to take part in the race. 

With the test day now on the same weekend as F1’s biggest race, that creates several issues. Unlike the NLS, which changed the date for its second round this year to accommodate Verstappen, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the FIA are unlikely to make any such adjustments to the World Endurance Championship’s schedule to suit an individual F1 driver. Any such change could also have wider ramifications, potentially creating headaches for full-time sportscar drivers who race in more than one championship.

But any F1 driver wishing to race at Le Mans doesn’t necessarily have to take part in the test day. Under the Le Mans supplementary regulations, a Platinum driver competing in another major motorsport championship can apply to the ACO Sport Committee for an exemption from the Test Day. If granted, the driver in question has to complete the mandatory laps during practice on Wednesday.

There is precedent for the ACO Sports Committee granting such exemptions to drivers who compete in other international championships. In 2021, Robin Frijns was allowed to skip the Le Mans test day due to his Formula E commitments despite being a rookie, while Nolan Siegel and Kyffin Simpson likewise didn’t take part in the 2024 test while racing in IndyCar at Road America. 

In theory, completing both the test day and the Monaco GP is also possible from a logistical standpoint. Such a plan would require them to travel to Le Mans on Saturday night after F1 qualifying, head out on track early in the morning to complete the 10 mandatory laps, before flying from the airport adjacent to the circuit and landing in Nice in time for the grand prix at 3pm.

While this may sound audacious, Kyle Larson attempted a similar double in 2025, racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Coincidentally, the NASCAR Cup star drove for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar’s blue-riband event, with permission from his Hendrick Motorsports team. 

But while Larson’s example shows that McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown is open to such double outings, he may be less flexible with his own drivers Norris and Oscar Piastri. With Larson, Brown had everything to gain as he was essentially loaning a driver from another (NASCAR) team. Hendrick was also covered in this situation in 2025, as Larson was contractually required to cut short his Indy 500 outing in case of significant delay to reach Charlotte for the start of the Coca-Cola 600. Hendrick made him prioritise NASCAR after rain delays in 2024 caused him to miss the start of the Charlotte event.

With Norris (or Piastri), Brown may not be too willing to compromise McLaren’s Monaco GP chances, especially with the addition of the sprint race on Saturday morning complicating an already busy weekend.

Third car dilemma

For Verstappen, Norris or even Fernando Alonso to race at Le Mans, teams must make room for them in their line-ups. There are two ways to solve this problem.

One is through the addition of a third, Le Mans-focused entry, allowing teams and manufacturers not to disrupt their two main cars. This is the approach Porsche took when it fielded Nico Hulkenberg, Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy and won the race in 2015. 

However, that race took place in the middle of the LMP1 era, when manufacturers were pouring in hundreds of millions into their annual WEC programmes. The reality has since shifted, and some Hypercar teams have found that running an additional car can be more effort than it is worth. Further, both Porsche and Cadillac relied on their IMSA Sportscar Championship crews for additional entries more recently in the WEC’s Hypercar era.

Running an additional car would prove to be particularly challenging for McLaren or Ford, which are entering the Hypercar ranks for the first time next year. Both have also pushed back on plans to race in the IMSA for now. While there are other reasons behind their reluctance to join the North America-based championship in the short-term, they also highlight capacity concerns in running dual programmes. 

While McLaren is running its Hypercar team in partnership with United Autosports, Ford is building a race team entirely from scratch to handle the operational aspects of its Hypercar effort. As such, a third Ford LMDh entry in 2027 is extremely unlikely. Ford has also firmed up the six drivers for its Hypercar programme, leaving no room for Verstappen in its two cars. Ford could bench one of its full-timers, but that is highly improbable.

McLaren, too, hasn’t said anything to suggest it will enter a third car at Le Mans next year. Any additional cars also require approval from the FIA and the ACO, and are subject to spacing constraints on the grid.

However, there may be space for Norris (or Piastri) in one of McLaren’s two cars next year.

As the testing programme continues, it is becoming increasingly likely that McLaren will run only two drivers per car in the regular six-hour races, with additional drivers being called for Le Mans and the longer endurance events in Qatar and Bahrain. Both Aston Martin and Porsche have followed this approach in the Hypercar for strategic reasons.

This avenue creates perhaps the clearest possibility of a McLaren F1 driver racing at Le Mans next year. So far, McLaren’s Hypercar team has only announced two drivers, Mikkel Jensen and Laurens Vanthoor, both of whom were present alongside Norris in Monday’s Portimao test. Speculation has heavily linked Alex Lynn and Malthe Jakobsen with the remaining two seats. 

It is very much possible that McLaren may only hire those four drivers on a full-time basis, with Norris joining for one or more of the longer races. 

As for Verstappen, if the Hypercar door remains shut, he could theoretically race at Le Mans with his GT3 team, which currently competes in GT World Challenge Europe and is supported directly by Mercedes.

Preparation for Le Mans

Even if the above issues can be fixed, drivers would still need additional track time to prepare for a Le Mans start.

Norris made one major step in this area when he joined McLaren’s Hypercar team on Monday, logging 38 laps around the Algarve circuit in Portimao. While McLaren’s testing programme would have been planned months in advance, and Norris’ involvement could likewise have been decided well before the F1 calendar was finalised, it is highly likely they were aware of the full schedule when Norris took the wheel of the MCl-HY on Monday.

However, testing would not give an F1 driver experience of the WEC’s sporting procedures, including full-course yellows, safety cars and running in LMGT3 and LMP2 traffic. For a new driver to arrive at Le Mans fully prepared, a race outing beforehand would be highly valuable.

As things stand, neither the Qatar 1812km season opener nor the Spa 6 Hours clashes with F1. Both races can serve as the ideal proving ground, with Qatar hosting the second-longest race on the calendar and Spa serving as the unofficial dress rehearsal for Le Mans.

But the workload remains a consideration, with drivers having to add two WEC events and a potentially test day to an already-punishing F1 schedule. 

Spa/Nurburgring 24 alternatives

For someone like Verstappen who wants to explore his horizons beyond F1 while staying committed to the championship as a full-time driver, the 2027 calendar offers easier alternatives than Le Mans.

Both the Nurburgring 24 Hours and the Spa 24 Hours do not clash with the 2027 F1 calendar. Verstappen already made his debut at the legendary Nordschleife race this year, and after his late-race heartbreak due to mechanical issues outside his control, he would be eager to return in 2027 to mount another victory bid.

Verstappen has made no secret of his ambition to race at the Spa 24 Hours as well, a race where he has already been fielding his team for several years.

“I wish that I could race in Spa as well,” he said in June this year, while taking part in the clashing Austrian GP.  “I told them already for next year. It would be ideal if they could schedule it outside of a Formula 1 weekend, so let’s see.”

So, while a 2027 Le Mans appearance isn’t completely out of the question, Norris and Verstappen (and their respective teams) will have to show real intent to make it happen. A 2028 debut may be more straightforward, with both McLaren and Ford then having a year’s experience under their belt. However, with there always being a possibility of clashes with F1, drivers may not want to miss out on the opportunity afforded by the 2027 calendar. 

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– The Motorsport.com Team