World champion Lando Norris says he is putting his own money into setting up a driver development programme and his own team so he can “try to find the next true Formula 1 champion”.

Norris’ team, to be known as LN4 Fusion, launched on Wednesday on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. It will run teams across multiple feeder categories starting from next year.

Norris said he wanted to put something back into motorsport after the success he has achieved.

“Why? Because I can,” he told BBC Sport in an exclusive interview.

“I have the amazing opportunity to use the bonuses of what was my dream, use the people that I’ve met, the teams that I’ve been with and kind of all put it into a big bowl and try and help kind of give back and re-share it with other people and help other people achieve their dream.

“And that’s something that almost excites me just as much as saying I wanted to achieve it myself, you know, over the last few years.

“So the fact I can help other people out, that’s something I think that’s just a beautiful thing in life when you get to do it. And especially if I can do it within the world of motorsport.”

Norris said he had “double-ticked” his childhood dreams of getting to Formula 1 and becoming champion, and that this new project “means something and sets a fire inside of me”.

He added: “With the Legacy programme first, it’s just a perfect opportunity for me to try and give back and support people.

“I know how fortunate I was growing up, having just great opportunities all the time. I know how lucky I was to always be in that position.

“For me, so many things stem from giving. It’s what I love to do with my friends, you know, and always take them on holidays and use the bonuses of my job and my life and share it all with them.

“And now I get to do it not only from a personal side with my friends and things, but get to help other drivers, young coming through. To say that and it’s even cooler in some ways to help someone else to do that.

“It’s a perfect combination. I get to support some drivers I can support. I have timed it so by the time I retire, they are old enough and can take my seat!”

Norris will be in overall charge of the programme but has signed a team of leaders to run it for him while he races full time in F1.

“From a driver development and the legacy programme, I don’t think it’s something that takes a lot of time.

“It can be a day here or a day there or not even that. It can be a phone call or a text from the drivers that I’m working with saying, can you help me here or do you have any guidance here or whatever it is, you know. So that’s not something that takes time.

“That’s just a thing that I’m happily willing to do. Everyone knows my focus is still on Formula One. That’s my job and that’s where all of my focus will be.

“I have a lot of faith and I believe very strongly in the people that we have running the different projects in the day-to-day. And in a way, I feel like I can step back and do nothing and things can still roll on and take place.

“But I want to be a part of it and I want to help in any way I can.”

LN4 Fusion will be run by Rene Rosin, founder and former boss of Prema, one of the most successful teams in the junior categories over the past two decades.

In parallel, Norris is setting up what is described as “an independent, fully funded driver development” scheme, to be called the LN4 Legacy Programme.

“I’ve been really lucky to have some amazing people around me throughout my career, and I know that getting to Formula 1 takes so much more than just talent,” Norris said.

“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. LN4 Fusion is about building a race team that can compete with the best in junior motorsport, with great people and a great environment for drivers to develop.

“The LN4 Legacy Programme is about helping talented young drivers get opportunities they might not otherwise have.”

Norris’ programme will run teams in the Italian F4 Championship, FIA Formula Regional European Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2027.

The aim is also to compete in Formula 2 next year, but the application process for that has not yet been completed.

Norris will be co-owner of the project along with an investment group run by businessman Dan Richards, who has a background in technology.

The main headquarters of the programme will be in Veneto, Italy.

The UK arm, led by Dan Hazlewood, head of the Fusion Motorsport karting team, will be based in Cambridgeshire and run a programme in British F4.

The young driver programme will be run by Julian Rouse, who was formerly head of a similar programme for the Alpine F1 team.

Richards said: “What we have created is far more than simply the acquisition of a racing team.

“We have assembled a rare combination and secured the right sporting leadership in the industry: an established operation, a Formula 1 world champion, the most successful team principal in junior single-seater racing over the past two decades, world-class motorsport expertise, significant investment and a shared ambition to build a team capable of competing at the highest levels of the sport.”

Rosin said: “Having Lando on board adds a further dimension to this project. He has come through the junior single-seater ranks and understands its demands. His involvement will make a real difference to the team.”