Norris With 'No Regrets' Over Potentially Losing Mercedes Seat By Signing Early With McLaren

Lando Norris expressed no regrets over the situation with an empty seat in Mercedes just a few days after he committed to McLaren.

McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris had his previous contract with McLaren valid until the end of the 2025 season. However, at the beginning of 2024, he already decided to extend this contract with a "multi-year" deal.

The positive of this deal for the 24-year-old is that McLaren probably had to pay a significant premium to get him to sign so early, and not he as the security of having a seat in F1 for at least 4 more seasons.

On the other hand, the risk was that some better opportunities would surface later, and that is precisely what happened.

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Lewis Hamilton signed with Ferrari, which means there will be an empty seat in the Mercedes, and Norris would definitely be one of the drivers on top of Wolff's list if he were available.

However, the 24-year-old driver told the media at Bahrain International Circuit after his final session of the pre-season testing: "I'm very happy. I could have waited. I had the choice."

McLaren struggled at the back of the grid at the beginning of last season. But then, the team showed a very impressive recovery, and Norris probably sees potential in it to commit for the long-term like he did.

Even though Mercedes has been much more successful over the last ten years than McLaren, the 24-year-old looks to the future and asserted he has no regrets about his decision.

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