F1 champion Norris co-founds single-seater junior team

Formula One champion Lando Norris has co-founded a single-seater team to help young drivers climb the motor racing ladder through the various feeder series.

The LN4 Fusion project has acquired assets from AIX Racing and has programmes confirmed in Italian F4, the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC), and FIA Formula Three, a support series for Formula One. It is also working towards an entry to British F4 and Formula Two.

Norris is also launching an independent, fully-funded driver development programme designed to identify and support exceptional young talent by removing financial barriers and providing access to coaching, mentoring and career guidance.

"I've been really lucky to have some amazing people around me throughout my career, and I know that getting to Formula One takes so much more than just talent," he said ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"You need the right people around you, the right support and the right opportunities at the right time. That's what these two projects are all about."

Norris said he wanted to create opportunities for the next generation, on and off the track, "and hopefully make a real difference to young drivers coming through the sport."

The principal will be Rene Rosin, whose family founded the highly successful Italy-based Prema team that helped several current F1 drivers -- including Mercedes' current championship leader Kimi Antonelli, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Norris's own teammate Oscar Piastri, rise to the top.

Prema's former technical director Guillaume Capietto will be the racing director.