Valentino Rossi and Lando Norris headline star-studded Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026
- Owen Bradley
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and F1 world champion Lando Norris, will be headlining a star-studded Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2026, in an event that will see active and former F1 drivers, MotoGP riders and motorsport icons take on the iconic hillclimb.
Rossi returns to Goodwood for the first time since 2015, with a 2026 appearance marking his first appearance at the Festival of Speed since the Italian retired from MotoGP back in 2021. The legend currently races for BMW in the GT World Challenge, scoring a podium earlier in the year at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
‘The Doctor’ will be attending Goodwood with Monster Energy, along with BMW and Yamaha. Rossi partnered with Monster Energy back in 2009, with the drinks company releasing a limited edition drink called ‘The Doctor’ back in 2013.
In 2025, Monster released a new Zero Sugar edition of the drink, featuring an updated blue design along with the iconic number 46 logo.
Alongside Rossi, Norris will also be headlining the event, the Brit now returning to West Sussex’s festival as an F1 world champion. Norris beat Max Verstappen and teammate Oscar Piastri in 2025 to secure his first world championship with McLaren.
Norris is also a Monster Energy partner, with Monster also releasing a limited edition ‘Lando Norris Zero Sugar’ flavour in 2025, with the can designed to replicate Norris’ race helmet. The Briton will be driving his MCL60 from the 2023 season, the machine taking him to the podium seven times that season.
The iconic duo will also be joined by several motorsport stars across paddocks, categories and machines in an event that celebrates all forms of motorsport.
From the F1 paddock, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will be attending the Festival, driving the 2012 Lotus E20 F1 car that won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that year, with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel back in 2012.
Aston Martin will be bringing their AMR25 F1 car from the 2025 season, with reserve driver Jak Crawford and British GT star and Aston Martin ambassador Jessica Hawkins taking the car up the hill across the weekend.
Accompanying Norris at McLaren will be reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli, along with Bruno Senna, nephew of three-time F1 champion and motorsport icon Ayrton Senna. McLaren will also be bringing the 1993 MP4/8, the MP4/8B and the M23.
Red Bull will bring Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda to the event, alongside Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, who recently participated in the British Grand Prix last weekend, with the pair securing a double points finish, crossing the line in sixth and seventh place.
Williams will be bringing F1 champion Damon Hill to the Festival, the 1996 champion driving the FW18 up the hill, along with Team Principal James Vowles. Reserve driver Luke Browning and F1 Academy advisor Jamie Chadwick will be attending the event as well, taking Keke Rosberg’s 1982 championship-winning FW08C up the hill.
Two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner will also be at the Goodwood FOS this year, as Ducati celebrate their 100th anniversary.
Stoner will be joined by several motorcycle racing icons, such as: Four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty, three-time WSBK champion Troy Bayliss, six-time British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, 2023 BSB champion Tommy Bridewell and other stars like Iker Lecuona, Nicolo Bulega and Josh Brookes.
Lightning McQueen, the seven-time Piston Cup champion, will also be in attendance at the Goodwood FOS this year, with the American legend returning to the Festival, back by popular demand after his 2025 appearance.
Several Formula E full-time and reserve drivers will also be in attendance at the event, such as: Dan Ticktum, Jean-Éric Vergne, Sam Bird, James Rossiter, Kush Maini, Lucas Di Grassi, Fernando Barrichello and Chloe Chambers. This is the largest presence that Formula E has ever had at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, coinciding with the launch of the new Gen4 era of the sport in December 2026.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a four-day event which gets underway on Thursday, July 9, featuring iconic drivers and cars taking on the iconic hillclimb.
Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
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