Lando Norris has revealed he held talks with other teams in Formula One before agreeing to a new contract with McLaren, a deal which extends his commitment to the British manufacturer through to the end of the 2025 season.
Norris signed a contract extension with McLaren last May before a new agreement was reached and announced on Wednesday ahead of the 2022 season. In revealing the deal, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said it was a significant step in the team’s “journey to world championship contention”.
Seidl added that McLaren were keen to “lock Norris in place”, with the British driver then revealing that there had been interest teams who were also in a position to contend for the championship. Norris said he held “little chats” with other teams but insisted that he been upfront with McLaren about any discussions he was involved in.
While the 22-year-old did not say who he had held talks with, Norris dropped a clue that fans could “probably be able to guess reasonably well” who those teams were, suggesting that Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari may have enquired about his future plans.
McLaren have not won a world championship since Lewis Hamilton’s first title in 2008 and the 37-year-old’s current deal with Mercedes is set to expire at the end of the 2023 season, with George Russell taking the other seat with the team from this season.
“There were opportunities that I think we knew would be coming up in the future with various teams,” Norris said following the announcement of his new contract on Wednesday. “This is a very strong message to put out [about] the faith we have in each other and how strongly I believe McLaren can recover still and get to the front in the next few years, even with those opportunities that could arise in one year, two years, three years’ time.
“There were little chats here and there but that’s all and nothing went far, As soon as something came up, that’s when I would then continue going to Andreas and have a little conversation about what our future holds and so on. There were little things, no point lying about it, there were little things here and there with other teams, but nothing that went far at all.”
Norris finished the 2021 season with four podium finishes and a first pole position. The British driver came close to his first victory at the Russian Grand Prix, only to see a late gamble to stay on dry tyres in wet conditions backfire.
McLaren were involved in a battle with Ferrari for third place in the constructors’ championship last season and at the Italian Grand Prix won their first race in 170 attempts as Daniel Ricciardo and Norris secured a one-two.
The overhaul in rules and regulations, which are being brought in by Formula One in an attempt to level the playing field between teams, come into effect this year and ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in March.
“I have to weigh in all the factors – it’s still my own career that I am focusing on,” Norris said. “I looked at all the best options for me… as a driver, the best for me as a person and in the longer term, what is the best thing for me. Of course, there will be opportunities for other drivers I am sure [to] maybe go to Red Bull or Mercedes. Who knows if I would have had those opportunities?
“I think the fact that it’s known, or the fact I would have had those opportunities but I still chose to stay with McLaren, is the good thing about all of this – that I know those opportunities, or I am confident that those opportunities, would arise in the next few years.
“But the fact is, I still have chosen to commit to McLaren, so I think that’s quite a strong message, it’s quite a strong thing that this is still where I want to be, it’s where I want to achieve race wins and podiums and championships, and that’s all.
“It just shows it’s a very strong message, I did weigh in all the factors for my own benefit and what I think could have come up in the next few years with drivers leaving and so on. But in the end, McLaren for me was still the best option, so that’s why I am most happy to be here and commit to my team.”
