Lando Norris to ride a KTM MotoGP bike?

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has extended an invite to Lando Norris to ride a KTM MotoGP bike. 

After more than a year removed from his position as team principal at Haas, Steiner agreed to become the new Tech3 KTM team owner a few months ago. The move meant he would replace the team’s original founder Herve Poncharal, who started with the project alongside Guy Coulon, and Bernard Martignac. 

Norris on the other hand became the first British driver to claim the F1 title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, eight days ago in Abu Dhabi. His success also saw him become the first driver to clinch the title for McLaren since 2007, which was again won by Hamilton. 

Norris has not shied away from being a huge MotoGP fan over the years, and in particular of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi. 

Norris was a special guest of Rossi’s VR46 Ducati team at the 2025 San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, in September. 

Speaking on The Red Flags podcast, Steiner said this about Norris potentially throwing a leg over one of the KTM team’s MotoGP bikes.

“He is welcome to ride our bike next year. It has the same colour [of the McLaren], papaya… Ok, it’s orange, but they are very similar. It would be something nice for him, although I don’t know if Zak Brown would be happy to see him ride a MotoGP bike.”

Steiner’s first season at the helm of the Tech3 KTM team will come after the Austrian brand enjoyed a resurgence in 2025. Its current riders Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini will once again ride the two factory-spec RC16 machines.

In the past we've seen MotoGP riders including Rossi test a Ferrari F1 car, and Marc Marquez try a Toro Rosso in 2018. However, we've rarely seen F1 drivers ride a MotoGP bike. The most notable driver to do so was Hamilton, when he rode Rossi's Yamaha M1 on track with the Italian at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, in 2019.

Photo credit - Gold and Goose

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