One interesting aspect of motorsport is how you can relocate drivers from one series to another and really see their driving skills on display. A significant event in a driver’s career is undoubtedly the Indianapolis 500. Lando Norris, who drives for McLaren and holds the title of current F1 world champion, has recently shared his thoughts on potentially participating in this prestigious race.
Norris made the trip from Montreal to Indianapolis on Memorial Day to congratulate Felix Rosenqvist, a former driver for Arrow McLaren and an Indy 500 champion. He also sat down for an interview on Fox Sports’ “Speed with Harvick and Buxton,” discussing whether he would like to give the race a shot.
Norris mentioned, “If you’re doing a full season championship, it feels more natural. Just going to the Indy 500… You have to be a bit crazy to want to focus on just one thing.” It’s well known that ovals can be quite a challenge for many European drivers. It makes sense, really; driving upwards of 330 mph with no room for error can be frightening, especially for someone with no prior IndyCar experience. But, well, that’s kind of what the whole month of May is for, right?
From his conversation with Rosenqvist, it seems that Norris has at least grasped the general vibe of racing at Indy. He remarked, “I think it was Felix who said that when you’re on the track, you don’t think about the wall or how fast you’re going. Your adrenaline just takes over.” That does sound like something Rosenqvist might say, as he demonstrated during the thrilling final lap of the race.
Kevin Harvick noted that at some point, Norris might see the Indy 500 as a checkbox to mark off, and if he aims to partake while still with McLaren, logistics shouldn’t be too big of an issue. I can’t really envision CEO Zak Brown opposing the idea of adding a car for Norris, unless his F1 commitments clash with it, which is often the case.
The last F1 champion to race in the Indianapolis 500 was Fernando Alonso, who tried his hand at it in both 2017 and 2020, although he didn’t manage to qualify in 2019.
