Valentino Rossi planning to become team-mates with F1 champion

Valentino Rossi in 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Valentino Rossi planning to become team-mates with F1 champion

Could we see an all-timer of a driver lineup in a few years?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 12 July 2026 12:27

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F1 world champion Lando Norris has admitted that he would 'love' to team up with nine-time motorcycle championship winner Valentino Rossi for a run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the future.

Rossi is one of the most successful racers in history, having claimed seven MotoGP titles across his career and nine motorcycle championships all-told between 1996-2021.

Nicknamed 'The Doctor', Rossi is now 47 years of age, but now races cars, competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

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And the Italian hinted that he would like to pair up with Norris one day as part of a sportscar team, or in an endurance race.

McLaren are returning to the top class of prototype endurance racing with a factory hypercar entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027, and that hypercar was debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.

Norris and Rossi teamed up together on the balcony at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Norris was exalted as the F1 champion after taking on the hillclimb at the event.

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Norris admits desire to team up with Valentino Rossi

Asked by Karun Chandhok at the Goodwood Festival of Speed whether he would like to team up with Rossi at Le Mans, Norris said: "Hell yeah I would.

"We have too many races but with McLaren now entering Le Mans, then maybe. Maybe not next year but in a couple of years, three or four years, I would love to, it would be an honour for me and I think we'd have a lot of fun for sure."

Rossi then said: "Grazie (thanks), I'll try to wait for Lando," hinting at the fact that he is now 47 years of age.

The two racing stars may not be the only all-star driver lineup at a future Le Mans event. Both Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso have said that they would want to team up together for a run at the prize which Alonso has won twice previously.

Verstappen-Alonso vs Norris-Rossi would be box office, and would certainly entice more fans to watch the iconic endurance race.

F1 Lando Norris 24 Hours of Le Mans Goodwood Festival of Speed Valentino Rossi