Lando Norris has co-founded LN4 Fusion, a new junior single-seater racing team that will compete in multiple championships, including the Formula 3 (F3) and Formula 2 (F2) feeder series, as the current F1 world champion commits to helping young drivers reach the top level of motorsport. The announcement, made at an event in Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, includes a personal financial undertaking by Norris alongside an investment group, marking the first time an F1 world champion has directly backed a team in the modern junior single-seater era.
Norris's dual initiative: racing team and legacy programme
As part of the project, Norris has also established the LN4 Legacy programme, a driver development initiative designed to identify and support talent from karting upwards, providing financial assistance as well as coaching, performance, and career support. Norris, who became world champion with McLaren in 2025, has previously identified the difficulties facing junior drivers as a fundamental problem for the sport.
“I know that getting to Formula One takes so much more than just talent. You need the right people around you, the right support and the right opportunities at the right time,” Norris said. “That’s what these two projects are all about. LN4 Fusion is about building a race team that can compete with the best in junior motorsport, with great people and a great environment for drivers to develop. The LN4 Legacy programme is about helping talented young drivers get opportunities they might not otherwise have.”
Championship plans and strategic acquisitions
The LN4 Fusion team will begin competing in a range of championships as of next year, with confirmed programmes in F3 for 2027, the Italian F4 Championship, and the FIA Formula Regional European Championship. The team has acquired key assets from the German team AIX Racing, which holds an F3 entry until the end of the 2027 season and has applied for participation in the F2 Championship.
Norris will play an active role in the organisation, a move welcomed by F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali. “Seeing Lando Norris involved in this new project is an incredible statement on how much the pyramid of Formula 3 and Formula 2 is crucial to the future of Formula One,” Domenicali said. “Through Lando’s investment and experience we can build a future, with new drivers, engineers, mechanics, and a tradition that will be followed by motorsport lovers.”
Key appointments and team structure
The seriousness of Norris's ambition is underscored by the appointment of René Rosin as team principal. Rosin was formerly the principal and managing director of the Prema team, which has enjoyed more than 40 years of competition in the junior series, winning multiple titles and developing drivers who went on to F1, including Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and Jacques Villeneuve.
Part of the LN4 Fusion team will be formed from the experience and personnel at Fusion Motorsport, which has enjoyed success for 25 years in UK karting, with multiple national and more recently international titles. Dan Hazlewood, head of Fusion Motorsport karting, will serve as team principal of the LN4 Fusion UK operation, overseeing the planned entry into the British F4 championship and bringing talent through from karting.
With 2027 set for the opening of racing for the team, the organisation is developing a European headquarters in Veneto, northern Italy, with a British base in Cambridgeshire already developing the F4 programme.
Leadership vision and future impact
Rosin emphasised the importance of Norris's involvement in the new venture. “Having Lando on board adds a further dimension to this project,” he said. “He has come through the junior single-seater ranks and understands its demands. His involvement will make a real difference to the team. We want to develop a pathway through junior single-seaters and create an environment in which drivers, engineers and sporting personnel can perform at the highest level.”
Chief executive Dan Richards echoed the optimism, believing they had all the requisite elements for success in place. “What we have created is far more than simply the acquisition of a racing team,” he said. “We have assembled a rare combination and secured the right sporting leadership in the industry: an established operation, a Formula One world champion, the most successful team principal in junior single-seater racing over the past two decades, world-class motorsport expertise, significant investment and a shared ambition to build a team capable of competing at the highest levels of the sport.”
The LN4 Fusion team's entry into junior motorsport represents a significant step in addressing the challenges faced by young drivers, with Norris's direct involvement and the team's strategic acquisitions positioning it to compete at the highest levels of the sport.
