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This article first appeared in GP Racing magazine.
In August, a young British teenager achieved a lifetime's ambition.
Seventeen-year-old Lando Norris took part in the Hungaroring test for McLaren, getting his first taste of real F1 machinery. It was the culmination of a journey that began 13 years earlier. The Bristol-born youngster remembers trying to reach the pedals and steering wheel set up by his older brother to play Gran Turismo 4 on the Sony PlayStation 2. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for both racing and games.
Last February, Norris joined the McLaren young driver programme and clinched the FIA European Formula 3 title at his first attempt. He'll race F2 in 2018. When his racing calendar permits, he also provides track support for both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne by driving McLaren's simulator in Woking, testing virtual setups between practice sessions that can be fed back into the real-world car.
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