Reigning champion Lando Norris to appear at 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris is set to appear at next month's Goodwood Festival of Speed, organisers have confirmed. The announcement comes just days after the McLaren driver secured his second podium of the 2026 season at Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, continuing a muted title defence under the sport's new regulations.

Why it matters:

Norris's appearance underscores his expanding profile beyond the cockpit following a landmark 2025 season. The 26-year-old claimed McLaren's first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008, winning seven races and defeating Max Verstappen by two points in a tense Abu Dhabi finale. His recent Laureus Award and inclusion on TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in sport further cement his status as a crossover star.

The details:

• The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs July 9-12, neatly placed between the British and Belgian grands prix on the 2026 calendar.
• Norris will share the spotlight with MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi, who is making his first appearance at the event since 2015.
• The reigning champion heads to West Sussex after a challenging start to his title defence; McLaren has struggled to match Mercedes and Ferrari under the revised regulations.
• Norris waited until the fourth round in Miami to record his first podium of 2026, before inheriting third place in Barcelona when Kimi Antonelli suffered a late technical failure.
• That result marked the first time since 1968 that three British drivers — Norris, George Russell and race winner Lewis Hamilton — locked out the podium positions in a Formula 1 race.

What's next:

Norris will look to build momentum at Goodwood before returning to grand prix racing, where McLaren continues to hunt for performance gains to close the gap to the front. Fans heading to West Sussex will get a rare opportunity to see the reigning world champion on the famous Hillclimb course before F1 reconvenes at Spa-Francorchamps later in July.