Lando Norris has been making waves lately in Formula 1 with his impressive performances for McLaren. The young Briton has also shown his loyalty to McLaren, the team that has trained him since his junior days and gave him the breakthrough in F1 in 2019. However, despite pledging allegiance to the Woking-based outfit, Norris has always been linked with Red Bull.
Despite strong rumors linking Norris to Red Bull, McLaren recently poured cold water into all of them. McLaren CEO Zak Brown said Norris is an important part of McLaren’s future, and he will surely be racing for the team till 2025. Brown added that Norris is happy at McLaren, and they have no intention of letting him go.
Lando Norris’s long-term bet on McLaren
Lando Norris, who is good friends with Max Verstappen, admitted he would be open to working together with the Dutchman at some point in his career, as he considers him one of the best drivers in F1 history. The young Briton said that he would like to see where he stands against Verstappen.
However, the only question which is keeping him away from making any move is mistakes. Talking to Racefans recently, Norris said, “There are times I could have left and then McLaren could have done well-ish like into 2020-21, and you’d be like, ‘why? What a stupid move’.”
While Red Bull have shown interest in Norris, it’s worth noting that Ferrari and Mercedes were never options for him. Both teams have developed long-term drivers and strategic plans.
Not considering any other big team and Norris’ claim of not owing his life to Mclaren’ is what makes the Red Bull rumors strong. He said, “I owe McLaren a lot, but I don’t owe them my life.”
Red Bull’s interest in Lando Norris
Jenson Button, Norris’s mentor and manager, advised the Briton to look at the car and not the team when deciding his future. Button said that Norris should aim to beat Verstappen, who is considered as the best driver on the grid.
The former World Champion said that if McLaren cannot provide Norris with a car capable of challenging Verstappen, then he should consider joining Red Bull and fighting him in the same team. Nevertheless, Button also warned that it will be a big challenge for Norris against Verstappen, Red Bull’s dominant champion from 2016 onwards.
Norris himself admitted that Verstappen is a “very tough” driver to beat and will need a lot of confidence and self-belief to challenge him. The young Briton added that he respects Verstappen as a driver and a person but is not afraid of him or anyone else everyone on the track.
