MotoGP legend and F1 champion to headline Goodwood Festival of Speed
Photo: Race Pictures
16:30, 17 Jun
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Valentino Rossi will be swamped by his many fans again this summer, including one Lando Norris.
The pair of world champions have both been announced as attendees at the Goodwood Festival of Speed between July 9-12.
MotoGP icon and nine-time world champion Rossi will be at the Sussex celebration of motorsport for the first time since 2015, having retired from the sport in 2021, later joining sportscar racing.
Norris, meanwhile, has been a regular Festival of Speed attendee, but will be particularly celebrated this year as a Formula 1 world champion with McLaren.
Norris is heading to Goodwood as reigning F1 world champion
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Rossi and Norris link-up announced
Monster energy, who sponsor both athletes, made the announcement as part of a ‘Monster Energy Showcase:
“Monster Energy is proud to announce that Lando Norris, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, and nine‑time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion Valentino Rossi will appear at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard this July. United by Monster Energy, this landmark moment brings together two of the most influential figures in modern motorsport, bridging Formula 1 and MotoGP in a way only Goodwood can deliver.
“Fresh from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Norris will head straight to Goodwood to celebrate with fans. A lifelong admirer of Rossi, the chance to share the Festival of Speed stage with one of motorsport’s most enduring icons adds extra meaning to the occasion.
“Rossi’s return to Goodwood delivers the unmistakable presence that has defined an era. With nine world titles, 115 Grand Prix victories and a legacy that reshaped motorcycle racing, Rossi remains one of the most recognisable figures in global sport. Alongside Norris—who represents the present and future of British motorsport—the pairing creates a rare crossover moment where generations and disciplines align.
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The iconic event combines the past and present of motorsport
“Together, this Monster Energy line‑up embodies the spirit of the Festival of Speed: a celebration of legends, a platform for extraordinary talent and a meeting place for the stories that shape motorsport culture. Their combined appearances promise to be among the defining highlights of the 2026 event.
“Norris and Rossi will arrive on Friday afternoon, giving fans the opportunity to celebrate with and hear from two of motorsport’s most iconic names. Furthermore, Norris will join the famous balcony at Goodwood on Saturday to mark World Championship success.”
Norris can't wait to link up with 'legend' Rossi
Norris, who who will be making his second appearance in three years, but first as world champion, commented:
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“Goodwood is always mega, it's a proper celebration of motorsport. There’s an awesome atmosphere, so many fans, and sharing it with a legend like Valentino just makes it even cooler.”
Rossi added in the press release:
“Goodwood is something really special, a true celebration of motorsport in every form. Being at the Festival of Speed, seeing so many passionate fans, and sharing the hill with incredible athletes like Lando Norris and John McGuinness makes it an unforgettable experience.”
The Duke of Richmond, who owns the estate and founded the Festival of Speed, added:
“Norris and Rossi. Together at Goodwood. It is without doubt a moment that will go down in Festival of Speed history. We’re incredibly grateful to Monster Energy for uniting these two World Champions at Goodwood and look forward to celebrating together in style later this summer.”
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Champions unite at Goodwood
The event is likely to be heavily draped in fluorescent yellow, a colour Rossi adorned during his career, and one later taken up by super fan Norris.
The Brit has raced in Rossi tribute helmets since his karting days, and in 2019 finally got to meet the man he calls ‘the GOAT’ at the British Grand Prix.
A fresh-faced 19-year-old at the time, Norris caught the experience on his YouTube channel, telling his followers:
“I’m meeting my hero, the one guy I’ve looked up to since I was five years old.”
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A teenage Norris was plenty nervois to meet his hero in 2019 (Credit: Lando Norris YouTube))
Norris later wore a Rossi tribute helmet at Monza, much to the delight of his Italian hero:
“I'm very happy, I'm very proud, for me it's an honour. At the beginning of the season arrive new drivers like Lando and also Alex Albon, they said that they grew up following MotoGP, following me, that they are my fans - and it's something good.
"I like the feeling, especially because they are two drivers very very strong. Lando did a great job, it was a great pleasure. Now we swap the helmet as soon as possible.
“He's a very good guy, he's very young, because he's 19, but he's already very clever and looks like he has a lot more experience than his age, so I'm also his fan.”
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Norris said of his helmet tribute:
“It was an opportunity to make this race more special and more of a one-off and something to remember it by, and that was by having more of a connection with Valentino, the guy I've always looked up to, my hero. So it is more of a dedication to him than anything else.”
Norris' love for Rossi explained
The pair have appeared at each other’s races ever since, and Norris would go on to explain his love for Rossi in a feature with the F1 website, and make a foreshadowing comment about them working together:
“Initially, what got me into Valentino was just his colours. I was probably only five years old at the time, and when you’re at that age, it’s hard to like anything for a reason other than it looked cool.
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“He had the blue-and-white Yamaha, with his fluorescent yellow race gear, and he just looked like a cool guy: in all the interviews, with the Italian accent, the celebrations, everything he did basically.
“That was when I was five – I didn’t even know what a go-kart was until I was seven – and that’s when I had a quad bike, and then I had a motocross bike. It definitely got me interested in motorsport – I remember watching stuff on what was Motors TV in the UK – and I loved motorbikes.
“Valentino had some amazing battles and rivalries – the two best ones I can remember were when he battled Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca and overtook on the dirt at the corkscrew.
“The other one was him and Jorge Lorenzo, battling at Barcelona, and then Valentino overtook at the last corner… that was like one of the coolest moments ever.
“When I started competing myself, Valentino inspired my helmet design. I gave it to a helmet designer and I was like ‘I love Rossi!’ and he came up with one that was black chrome and orange. Rossi had ‘the sun and the moon’, mine was like ‘the sun and the sun’ and it has been adapted and evolved a bit over the years.
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Norris has worn Rossi's colours throughout his career
“I never got to go to a MotoGP event when I was growing up but after I became a Formula 1 driver I was lucky enough to go to the British Motorcycle Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2019.
“It’s weird, I still remember myself being so young, watching Valentino on TV, and there he was competing – a bit like in Formula 1 when I was watching Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso racing and now I’m on the same grid as them and racing against them.
“Meeting Valentino was really cool; I was mainly there just to meet him, and it was an honour. He was the guy I looked up to and who got me into racing in the first place: who knows, maybe if I didn’t follow Valentino, and then get into motorbikes, maybe I wouldn’t have got into motorsport, or maybe that interest would have been delayed.
“We’ve stayed in touch since that meeting; I have a friend, Thierry Vermeulen, who races in the GT World Challenge Europe – which is the series that Valentino has competed in since switching to car racing full-time in 2022.
“Valentino texted me congratulations after the podium in Singapore, and we still talk now and then.
“We’d love to do something together, it’s just obviously when I’m busy then he’s not busy, and then when I’m not busy he’s busy. It’s pretty hard to do anything now but definitely in the future we’d love to do something together.
“I’ve been able to learn from Valentino too – to have fun, and enjoy it. He’s always been the kind of guy who enjoys everything he does, and the more passionate he is about something, the more he enjoys it.
“It’s an easy thing to say ‘just have fun’, but there are certain things you can do in sport to make it more enjoyable and have fun – and he definitely did that in his career.”
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