McLaren must fear losing
Lando Norris to
Ferrari should the Italian team come knocking if either
Charles Leclerc or
Lewis Hamilton leave Ferrari. The duo are locked in for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, but Hamilton's future beyond that is uncertain. Should
Ferrari ask Norris, then it won't take much persuasion.
Lando Norris and
Oscar Piastri are both young. With a combined age of 47, they both have a long future in
Formula 1. Norris has been with
McLaren through his entire
F1 career so far and has often made his intentions clear: winning races and a World Championship with McLaren.
Why Lando Norris won't take much persuading
There's been no doubt. Over the last 12 months, McLaren has made serious ground and even featured regularly on the podium towards the end of last year. But whether they can take the next step, especially as they will still be customers of Mercedes when the new engine regulations are introduced, is uncertain. Norris has regularly been tipped as a future world champion, and he will want to maximise his chances.
Norris has previously said he is not afraid of taking on
Max Verstappen at Red Bull, but it's perhaps not the most ideal situation for the Brit as the Dutchman is a clear number one driver. Speaking to
Racer about following Hamilton's footsteps to Ferrari, Norris said:
"I would say, the Lewis move is cool".
"That’s all I would say. And I respected that. I thought that was a cool move to do. So not saying that’s exactly what I’d like – not say anything else, I’m just saying… I’m not saying I want to go to Ferrari now, I’m just saying there are certain things that are just cool to do."