Brown desperate to keep Norris off Red Bull's radar: "He's hot property"
General
Lando Norris will drive for McLaren for the next two seasons, but Zak Brown is already looking further ahead. The McLaren CEO would rather have the 24-year-old driver sign a new contract today than tomorrow. Ideally, Brown would like to continue with the current driver duo for the next few years.
Oscar Piastri already signed a new contract at McLaren last September. The Australian had only six months left at the Woking-based formation but performed so well that he was immediately allowed to sign an improved commitment that ties him to the team until the end of 2026. Norris should now follow suit.
"There is no number we'd be interested in trading him for," Brown told Sky Sports. "I think we have the best driver line-up in Formula 1. We do have a little bit more runway with both [on their contract length] but certainly he [Lando] is hot property so we would like to lock him down sooner rather than later. There's no one who could come knocking on our door that would make us scratch our head and wonder if we'd like them in our car instead. So very happy with our driver line-up and just want to continue with it for quite some time."
Norris contract extension
Yet a contract extension will not be so easy. Norris is having a great time at McLaren, but at the end of the day, the top class of motorsport is all about one thing: winning. He hasn't managed that in five years at McLaren (and 104 races).
"I think he's very much enjoying his time at McLaren, and the dream is to win races and a world championship together, and I think Lando's all in for achieving that with us," Brown said. "It's trajectory, it's environment, it's family and I think Lando's culture and who he is fits in really well inside McLaren. I think this is, of course, the best home for him of all the other nine teams, not just Red Bull."
Norris' last contract extension dates from February 2022. New regulations come into force in Formula 1 in 2026, so it will be a hell of a task for Norris: does he have faith in McLaren, or will he seek refuge elsewhere?