Friday 21 December, 2018 – On Saturday 12th January, visitors to Autosport International will be welcomed by McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, who are set to open the show at Birmingham’s NEC.
Norris, who became the youngest winner of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2017, finished second in this year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship and also won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award in 2016. After continuing to make his mark as a test and reserve driver for McLaren over the past two seasons, he is stepping up to Formula 1 for 2019.
Joining him on the grid will be Carlos Sainz, who is joining McLaren from Renault having also previously raced with Scuderia Toro Rosso. This will be Sainz’s fifth season in Formula 1, after joining the series in 2015 following his championship win in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
In addition to opening the show, McLaren’s new line-up of drivers will be taking part in interviews on the Autosport Stage to discuss their respective careers to-date and share their thoughts on the upcoming season.
Andrew Van de Burgt, Editor-in-Chief of Autosport Media UK, said: “It’s a privilege to have both Carlos and Lando confirmed for the show in January. The young F1 stars are sure to be popular show openers, whose anecdotes shared on stage will be thoroughly entertaining for those in attendance.”
The attendance of two of the stars of F1 will add to the great line-up for motorsport fans on “Super Saturday”. With the launch of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship also taking place, all of the drivers, co-drivers and team principals will be in attendance to take to the Autosport Stage and unveil their challengers for the new season.
Autosport International is part of Motorsport Network’s flagship title, Autosport – one of the leading print and online motorsport titles. Motorsport Network is the world’s largest independent automotive and motorsport-related digital platform, connecting millions of people who love motorsport and cars. The network also creates key industry events including the annual Autosport Awards and the Motorsport Business Leaders’ Forum.
