Having the record for the ‘most podiums without a win’ is not something Lando Norris would be proud of. With 15 podiums to his name after the Chinese GP, Norris is desperate to get on the top step of the podium, to say the least. Helmut Marko has seemingly offered the Briton a chance to win a race sooner. The Austrian has always praised Norris and has wanted to sign him for Red Bull. After Norris’ podium in Shanghai, Marko advised the McLaren driver to jump ship to Red Bull.
The 80-year-old spoke to ServusTV and gave his thoughts on Norris. According to GP Fans, he said, “Lando Norris is young, and we will certainly keep an eye on him. He hasn’t won any Grands Prix yet. His father joked that he might win a race when Max [Verstappen] retires, but if he comes to us [Red Bull], he will win faster.”
Given how Max Verstappen is dominating and winning races at a canter, it is increasingly difficult for someone like Norris to win any races. Besides, the 24-year-old has also not had the car underneath him to compete for podiums consistently, let alone victories.
McLaren have faced some ups and downs since 2022, with their car not delivering performance as expected. Moreover, their early season form in 2023 was abysmal with only 17 points after the first eight races. So, Norris was in a dilemma of considering his future at the Woking outfit, as they did not look like a team to fight for wins soon.
However, after a series of upgrades midway through the season, McLaren made a surprise step forward in terms of performance. This renewed Norris’ faith in the team, as the #4 driver got seven podiums in the second half of 2023. So, does this mean that the British driver may deny Marko’s offer to join Red Bull again?
Lando Norris doesn’t wish to switch away from McLaren
Switching to a dominant championship-winning team would be a tough call for Lando Norris. But, the 24-year-old is keen to stay at McLaren and believes that the team can make a step up to fight for wins and the championship sooner rather than later.
Norris’s show of faith came before the 2024 season got underway, as he signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren. The Briton got a big boost of confidence on seeing the Woking team’s recovery in 2023.
The Papaya outfit went from backmarkers to consistent podium contenders within a span of ten races. Besides this, Norris also saw how the team made structural changes and signed some key technical personnel to bolster their car development.
Overall, McLaren showed Norris evidence of their readiness and ability to fight at the front. Naturally, the 24-year-old also feels comfortable in the Woking team’s environment, as he has driven for them since 2019. Therefore, it made sense for him to extend his stay and bet on McLaren’s bright future rather than switching away in search of immediate success.
Furthermore, the 2024 season has also started on the right note for McLaren. They are slowly gathering steam with Norris already getting two podiums in Australia and China so far.
Now, the #4 driver may even expect that the MCL38 will enable him to fight for a Grand Prix win this year. Whenever that happens, Norris would want to break his duck of wins and get this monkey off his back once and for all.
