Lando Norris has been repeatedly linked to moving to Red Bull Racing to become Max Verstappen’s teammate.
Lando Norris insists that racing for McLaren was always the “best option” for him, with both Mercedes and Ferrari “quite well booked”.
Norris’ future has recently been a topic of discussion following his recent positive performances, including back-to-back podiums at Silverstone and Hungaroring.
His good results have seen him linked with Red Bull again, with Norris and reigning world champion Max Verstappen saying they would one day like to be teammates.
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko even asserted that he could ‘imagine’ Norris driving for the Austrian, which wouldn’t happen until 2026 at the earliest. Norris is under contract with McLaren until 2025, as he signed a long-term contract last season.
The 23-year-old has signed a long-term contract due to all the big seats, which leaves McLaren with the next best option.
Mercedes has George Russell and Lewis Hamilton until the end of 2025, Ferrari has Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz until at least the end of 2024, while Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat is the only possible one for 2025.
There are few options in the leading groups until the new powertrain regulations are introduced, but changing groups then could be risky due to the uncertain size of the hierarchy .
Because he ended up staying at McLaren for so long – he joined the British team in 2019 – it really strengthened his determination to finish his story there and win , even as he insists that his “life” is not about the racing team. “I owe McLaren a lot, but I don’t owe them my life,” he told RaceFans. “Obviously there are always things that happen and there have been discussions in the past and things like that, as is the case with every driver, every time a contract ends.
“McLaren, in general, has always proven to be one of the best choices I could have made, both short-term and long-term, I guess at the moment.
“There were times when I could have left and McLaren could have done well, like in 2020-2021, and you say ‘why?’ What a stupid decision. “There aren’t many other opportunities to do much better. There were a few opportunities here and there, but Ferrari were quite conservative. Mercedes is almost booked. Red Bull, things always happen.
“There are always little things but McLaren is always the best choice, that’s why I’m still here. “Every year my presence here always adds to the narrative of wanting to win more with the team and with McLaren, because I think that makes me more worthy when the right time comes. ”