McLaren's Norris likely to join F2 or Super Formula in 2018

The 17-year-old Formula 3 European Championship rookie starred on his official Formula 1 test debut for McLaren at the Hungaroring last week.

Norris currently lies second in the F3 standings and believes he will move up in 2018, even if he does not take the title.

“I’m not 100%, but I am pretty sure I won’t be doing F3 next year,” said Norris, who got his F1 test for winning the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

Although he admitted that his F1 test went “slightly better than I expected it would go” after lapping faster on the ultra-soft tyre than regular McLaren racer Stoffel Vandoorne, Norris thinks a move into F1 for 2018 is unlikely.

“McLaren is trying to keep Fernando [Alonso] and Stoffel, it’s not really up to me,” added Norris. “I don’t think it’s going to be F1 next year, I think it’s more likely to be Formula 2 or Super Formula.

“I don’t think the test changes anything for this season – nothing is planned. For this year the focus is on F3 and I hope to win it.”

Norris, who also won a McLaren simulator role as part of his Award prize, was second fastest in the second day of the Hungaroring test after completing 91 laps, just 0.261 seconds behind Hungarian GP polesitter and winner Sebastian Vettel.

A move to either F2 or Super Formula would be in line with McLaren's recent record of young driver development.

The team's newest F1 signing Vandoorne had raced in both F2's predecessor GP2 and Super Formula, while the two drivers currently comprising the McLaren young driver programme alongside Norris - Nyck de Vries and Nobuharu Matsushita - are both in F2.

Kevin Turner