Lando Norris is one of the generational talents on the current Formula 1 grid who has been touted to win multiple world championships if given a capable enough car. At the beginning of the 2024 season, there were rumors about Norris and Red Bull having talks about a potential switch for the Briton to the Milton Keynes outfit as they had the best car on the grid heading into the campaign.
However, Norris chose to stick with McLaren and eventually ended up signing a multi-year contract extension, the duration of which has not yet been revealed by either party. Hence, Red Bull decided to stick with Sergio Perez for the season.
Fortunately for the Brit, it turned out to be the right decision as McLaren has now out-developed Red Bull and has the outright fastest car on the grid regardless of the racing circuit. However, this wasn’t the first time Norris and Red Bull had discussions regarding a possible contract.
Norris recently revealed the discussions he had with Helmut Marko when he was still racing in the junior categories and candidly admitted how his interview with the Austrian went poorly. In a recent report from F1Maximaal, Norris remarked that he wasn’t able to answer the questions Dr. Marko asked him.
“I drove in Formula Renault. It was 2016, I drove the fastest time and my manager received a call from Helmut,” Norris revealed. “I went to the Formula 1 paddock, to the Red Bull motorhome, and walked in and we had a short chat.”
It’s ironic that helmut marko keeps talking about redbull attempts to sign lando when he’s likely the main reason lando refused.
back in 2020 lando spoke about the ‘redbull situation’ and his first meeting with helmut and you can tell he wanted nothing to do with that team. pic.twitter.com/yJ9LNedzRD
— Remi (@l4ndocore) September 5, 2024
In what was a rather short interview, Dr. Marko asked a few basic questions about the car Norris was driving at the time, like its weight, which he could not answer. “I had no idea,” Norris admitted.
“I had to think of something. Finally, I said I didn’t know. Then he said this… I don’t know if I should say it. The next thing he said was: Well, Max would know. Max knows everything about the car,” revealed a speechless Norris.
Marko reveals Red Bull even had a contract ready for Norris
For years, Dr. Marko had been responsible for scouting and grooming young and talented drivers who could go on to race for Red Bull if they proved themselves worthy. And Norris was someone Red Bull and Marko always deemed worthy.
According to F1Maximaal, Marko recently revealed that the team even had a contract ready for the Briton, should he have accepted it. However, he also revealed that the 24-year-old already had an offer at the time which had a clause that prevented him from signing with Red Bull.
Helmut Marko comments on Lando Norris again:
“Lando Norris is young, and we will definitely keep an eye on him.
He hasn’t won any Grands Prix yet. His father joked that he might win a race when Max retires. But if he comes to us he will win faster.” pic.twitter.com/Oq3tWKjFRJ
— McLaren News | (@McLarenF1_News) April 21, 2024
“We had serious conversations with Lando Norris. We had a contract ready for him, for AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso at the time,” said the Austrian.
