Norris's Contract With McLaren Up In The Air Amid Expectations Of Topping Everyone's List

Monday, 15 January 2024 at 05:00

Zak Brown suggested Lando Norris will be on top of everyone's potential driver list beyond 2025, and therefore, securing the 24-year-old is McLaren's "next priority."

Lando Norris certainly showed an immense potential in 2023. Team principals ranked the Papaya driver as the third-best driver of the previous season after Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen.

Norris's current contract with McLaren expires at the end of the 2025 season, and Zak Brown knows McLaren needs to secure him as soon as possible. According to Speedcafe, he said:

"Yeah, I would say [Norris is] next priority. There are a lot of priorities, and certainly with Lando we've got some time, but he is a driver that everybody up and down the pit lane wants."

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The CEO pointed out that Sergio Perez's future in Red Bull is not certain. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. He said:

"How much longer is Lewis going? What are Mercedes going to do? How much longer has Sergio (Perez) got?"

Ferrari is also currently in the middle of negotiations with their drivers and might be interested in the McLaren driver beyond season 2025.

"For sure, the three other big teams probably don't have visibility as to their driver line-up beyond '25. And I think with how Lando has performed, he would be top of everyone's list."

F1 is set to enter new regulations in 2026, which have great potential for reshuffling the order. Brown asserted McLaren has everything to offer to the 24-year-old moving forward.

"Sooner…I think the market is already going. I think we're in a great place with Lando. I think '26 is a great opportunity for everyone to reset, and there is nothing we don't have going into '26 that any of the other teams have."

McLaren made significant progress last season, and if the team can repeat a similar step forward in 2024, which would allow Norris to fight for race wins, the Brit would be a lot more likely to sign a contract extension with his current team.

"He's very comfortable in the environment, with his team-mate. I think as you go down and look at who can get it done in '26, there are four or five teams that you can say can get it done, and we will be one of those."