Norris and McLaren celebrate World Championship success at Festival of Speed

The McLaren superstar was joined by an illustrious supporting line-up: three-time F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart and McLaren Racing Team Principal Andrea Stella.

The drama ignited before Norris even reached the balcony. In a spectacular display, he drove his thunderous 2023 McLaren MCL60 right up the tarmac to the front of Goodwood House, where he emerged directly from the heart of the roaring, densely packed crowd, and made his way up a wall of deafening cheers.

Looking out over an audience Norris was visibly moved by the sheer scale of the reception, remarking on the surreal nature of the moment as expressed a lifelong affection for Goodwood and how he used to visit the Festival of Speed with his father and brother. Quite the adjustment, then, to now be the one looking down as World Champion.

Shifting gears, talk turned to McLaren’s endurance racing ambitions following the reveal of the 2027 McLaren MCL-HY Hypercar. When asked on whether a future seat at the Le Mans 24 Hours was on his radar, Norris didn’t hesitate: “That’s the plan,” he confirmed, to a wave of roaring cheers.

To cap off an historic afternoon, Norris stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the railing with boss Stella and fellow Champion Stewart, posing for an iconic photograph against the backdrop of the cheering crowds. With the energy on the Estate reaching an absolute fever pitch, this moment perfectly cemented Norris’ status as the definitive hero of the 2026 Festival of Speed.

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Photography by Sam Milton and Joe Harding.