Verstappen rejects Norris' approach with his own racing project

Verstappen taps his microphone a few times at the start of the media session, with dozens of journalists, both seated and standing, ready to hear what the Red Bull Racing driver has to say in Monza. Initially, nothing comes through the speakers, prompting Verstappen to wonder aloud whether the device is working. “Oh, I think I just turned it on myself,” he concludes as his voice finally booms through the packed room.

While Norris is focusing his new project primarily on the formula categories, that’s not the direction Verstappen ultimately wants to take with his own team. Asked by GPblog whether he would ever want to enter formula categories like F4, F3, or F2 with his own project, his answer is clear - along with the reason behind it.

"No, not really, not from my side. I enjoy the endurance side of things and combining endurance and Formula cars is very hectic. I enjoy more to be on the other side, working with established drivers, but also young guys that are finding that it is a crazy world," Verstappen explained.

That doesn’t mean Verstappen isn’t involved with drivers from the junior ranks at all. The four-time world champion says his current program already works with drivers at various levels below Formula 1. "We're anyway training a lot of Formula 2, F3, F4, FRECA drivers. So I'm very happy with what I'm doing," he adds.

The financial problem that Norris is trying to address with his new program is one Verstappen has raised multiple times. For that reason, he speaks enthusiastically about the McLaren driver’s initiative. "It's tough at the moment, costs are rising, so the more you can help them, the better it is. Some real talents, they don't have a lot of money, so to be able to create these kind of initiatives is great."

On Wednesday, Norris announced that he has co-founded LN4 Fusion, a new racing project that will be active from 2027 in various junior categories. The reigning world champion is explicitly targeting the road to F1. Next year, LN4 Fusion will compete in Italian Formula 4, the Formula Regional European Championship, and Formula 3. An application has also been submitted to enter Formula 2 from 2027.

In the UK, LN4 Fusion already has a testing program for British Formula 4 and is working towards a future entry in that championship. In addition to the race team, Norris is launching the LN4 Legacy Programme. That program is separate from the team and is fully funded by Norris, with the goal to support young drivers with coaching, guidance, and help in advancing their careers.

With his own organization, Verstappen is taking a different path than Norris. He founded Verstappen.com Racing - now Verstappen Racing - in 2022 and has expanded the project further in recent years. A key component is the connection between sim racing and real-world motorsport, with Chris Lulham the clearest example so far. The Briton moved from Team Redline into GT3 racing through Verstappen’s program.

In 2026, the GT program has expanded further. Verstappen Racing is partnering with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport and will field a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT World Challenge Europe. The car will be run by 2 Seas Motorsport. Lulham and Daniel Juncadella will form the duo for the Sprint Cup, while Jules Gounon joins for the Endurance Cup.

Additionally, Verstappen Racing ran a separate program this year on the Nürburgring Nordschleife with Mercedes-AMG and Winward Racing. Verstappen himself also raced for his own team. The program included events in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.

There were also several changes on the virtual side this year. Team Redline continued under the name Verstappen Sim Racing as of March. This brought the sim racing team fully under the identity of Verstappen Racing. The team aims not only to continue competing at the highest level in sim racing, but also to provide a pathway for virtual talents to progress into real-world motorsport.