Following McLaren’s 4th place finish in the Constructor’s Championship last season, the British team will be heading confidently into next season, as they secured the contract extension of Lando Norris.
Lando Norris—who finished 6th in the 2023 Driver’s Championship—signed a long-term contract extension with the Orange Outfits last month. Recently, the Briton confessed about his ‘mischievous’ acts before penning the contract.
Lando Norris talks on offers from F1 rivals
In an interview, McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris has openly revealed that he held exploratory talks with several teams, prior to signing his long-term McLaren deal on January 26th.
Explaining his reasons, Norris added, “Everyone speaks to everyone, every driver speaks to every team. It’s not in terms of just sorting contracts. It’s what can one team offer you, and what can another team offer you, and things like that”.
“It’s the same with every driver. Everyone speaks to every team on what could we potentially do one day,” he told the media.
He was quick to admit that these ‘talks’ fell apart fast. “Nothing ever progressed more than that, basically. It was shut down quite quickly,” Norris pointed out.
Although he talked with the other teams, Norris finally put pen-to-papers with McLaren. Expressing the reasons, he told, “It’s a great feeling to be staying in papaya,” said Norris, who joined the McLaren family as a junior driver in 2017. “I’ve grown up with McLaren and feel at home here, the team are like family to me.”
Looks like Lando Norris—the ‘Last Lap Lando’—won’t be having his last lap [so soon] in McLaren’s orange suits after signing this muti-year contract.
Details on Lando Norris McLaren contract
On January 26th, McLaren announced the signing of an extended multi-year contract with Lando Norris, just months after extending Oscar Piastri, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo in 2023.
Norris’ previous four-year contract saw him commit to the Woking-based outfit until the end of 2025. The new contract extensions will keep him with the team beyond the 2025 season, building on his strong six-year relationship with McLaren Racing.
Although McLaren has stated it as a ‘multi-year’ agreement, other specific details—including the release clause and financial figures—of the contract remains undisclosed by the team.
McLaren and Lando Norris will be entering the F1 tracks on March 2nd at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Can Norris lead McLaren into the top spot in the 2024 World Championship? Or will he regret staying beyond next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
