Recently, McLaren announced the signing of Rob Marshall from Red Bull by doubling his salary. However, Lando Norris admits that it was a blatant example of poaching talent in Formula 1.
Marshall was Red Bull’s Chief engineering officer and a veteran in the sport. He won titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before moving to Red Bull, where he served for 17 years. He played a crucial role in the development of the RB19, which has dominated the grid so far in 2023.
Red Bull has been hit with a talent drain recently, with Dan Fallows heading to Aston Martin in 2021. The concerns of losing their talents to rivals have left Helmut Marko worried.
Lando Norris talks about McLaren’s poaching of talent from Red Bull
Lando Norris was asked in an interview with Sky Sports about his opinion on poaching talent in F1. The Briton was asked whether it’s similar to football, where teams lure the best players or managers from other teams and win.
To which Norris responded, “I wouldn’t use the football analogy. I don’t know these guys. I have not been in F1 as long as the guys who recruited these guys.”
The McLaren driver states he plays no part in deciding who the team hires. He added, “I just have respect for what they have achieved whether it’s with Red Bull, Ferrari, or Mercedes.”
Marshall’s arrival is expected to have a huge impact on McLaren. The Woking-based team wants to relive its days as a championship frontrunner. The veteran engineer’s insight could help the team take a step in the right direction and allow Norris to claim his first win.
McLaren set an ambitious target to win races by 2024
In 2022, Lando Norris himself was lured to sign a deal with Red Bull. However, McLaren prevented the driver from leaving by offering a $100 Million worth 4-year deal with the promise of winning races in the future.
So far, McLaren is yet to progress from the midfield and claim regular podiums. The team has failed to challenge for race wins since the 2021 Russian GP. However, CEO Zak Brown has set a 2024 deadline for the team to be a title challenger.
Brown told ‘The Race,’ “We’ll have no excuses come the 2024 season and would like to think at that point the sport is going to be so competitive that there’ll be a variety of teams fighting for the championship. I’d like to think we would be one of them.”
The team has lured in talents from rivals, who will be taking key positions in the team. Along with Rob Marshal, the Woking-based team has signed David Sanchez from Ferrari as their Technical Director for the 2024 season.
The team has taken ambitious steps to realize the dream of being a championship contender. The team has completed the construction of a new wind tunnel, which will be operational from June 2023.
The 2026 regulations change could be a turning point for the team. However, with their rivals poised to get stronger, it will be a tough journey for McLaren to reclaim their old status.
