McLaren’s Lando Norris has recently been in the form of his life as he has delivered some exceptional results recently. His most impressive performance came at the British Grand Prix lately when he finished second, only behind race-winner Max Verstappen. As the Briton continues to perform, it seems that there is a tug-of-war between Red Bull and Ferrari to get his signature.
While Red Bull have admitted that they have had the 23-year-old on their radar for sometime now, surprising reports emerged recently that state that Ferrari already have a pre-contract agreement in place with him. Moreover, since both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are yet to sign an extension with Ferrari, it seems that an opportunity could open up for Norris to make a move if any of these two drivers choose to leave.
A dreamy weekend at the #BritishGP. 🇬🇧
Here is the #McLarenUnboxed we have all been waiting for! 🍿👇
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 12, 2023
However, with Sergio Perez currently struggling at Red Bull, the Milton Keynes outfit are likely to do everything in their potential to sign Norris. Considering how much attention the McLaren driver has been receiving lately, it will be interesting to see if he makes a move to a rival in the future or not.
Will Lando Norris leave McLaren for Ferrari or Red Bull?
According to a report put out by itmotorsport.com, the priority of Ferrari at the moment is to extend the contract of both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. And only if one of these drivers does not sign a contract extension will the team look at the possibility of signing Lando Norris from McLaren.
Hence, it seems unlikely that an opportunity will open up at Ferrari anytime soon. However, the same cannot be said for Red Bull, who are reportedly looking to sign a replacement for the struggling Sergio Perez. The Mexican has struggled massively in recent times as he has failed to qualify to qualify Q3 in each of his last five races.
As a result of the same, he has fallen a whopping 99 points behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in the championship. Therefore, if the Milton Keynes outfit does end up replacing Perez, then Norris could be one of their first choices.
Norris happy at McLaren despite their struggles
As the rumors continue surrounding Lando Norris’ future, the Briton has suggested on several occasions that he is happy at McLaren despite their recent struggles. His most recent praises for his team came after the British Grand Prix when he came agonizingly close to achieving his first race victory.
Following the British GP, he said (as quoted by gpblog.com), “We’re very, very competitive in high speed. We’re almost on par with what Red Bull could achieve“. However, he did caution his fans not to get too ahead of themselves as he believes that McLaren still have an extremely “poor” car in the other areas on track.
Despite having acknowledged that McLaren perhaps still have a poor car, Norris yet believes he “owes” his loyalty to the team. And that is perhaps because the Woking-based outfit took a huge risk by signing him when he was just 19.
However, it is fair to say that if Norris does receive an offer from a team that can provide him a championship-winning car, then it will undoubtedly be very difficult for him to reject it. Hence, only time will tell what the future holds for him.
