For the past few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation over Lando Norris’ future. There are rumors that he will be joining Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez. Most recently, Helmut Marko has said that a lot of teams will be interested in Lando Norris.
Lando Norris is without a doubt one of the most talented drivers on the grid. He started scoring podiums right after his rookie season. Since then, he has been considered to be a future Champion. In 2022, Lando Norris signed a new contract with McLaren. This contract will expire only after the 2025 season. This will leave him available for the 2026 season where new regulations will come in place.
“Norris has a fixed contract until the end of 2025. After that, he will be very interesting for many teams.” Helmut Marko said when asked about the availability of Lando Norris.
🚨 Marko has once again commented on the Lando Norris speculation
“Norris has a fixed contract until the end of 2025. After that he will be very interesting for many teams.”
[@F1insidercom] #F1 pic.twitter.com/sXTDLZPiZR
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 12, 2023
Although Lando Norris seems dedicated to McLaren, he said that he doesn’t owe them his life. This indicates that he will be open to the idea of joining another team if the offer is good. Like every driver, Lando wishes to win a Championship. To do this, he needs to be on the right team. Unlike other sports, the machine they are driving plays an important part in their performance.
If Lando feels that McLaren cannot help him win a Championship, he will look elsewhere. There are a lot of options for Lando. Among them are a few top teams.
Does Red Bull have a seat open for Lando Norris in 2025?
Red Bull have openly been targeting Lando Norris to replace Sergio Perez. However, the Mexican driver’s contract expires in 2024. This leaves Red Bull with a slight issue as Lando Norris’ contract will expire only in 2025. Red Bull could choose to buy Norris out of his McLaren contract. But that would cost the Austrian team around $20 million. In addition to this, they would also have to pay Lando Norris a hefty salary. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have even discussed the possibility of teaming up.
Knowing that Red Bull intends to sign Lando Norris in 2026, no driver would be interested in signing with them for the 2025 season. None of the younger drivers will want to drive for them for 1 year. However, Daniel Ricciardo could be a temporary option for Red Bull. He is coming close to his retirement and is aware that he cannot win a Championship now.
Would Lando Norris be a good fit for Red Bull? 💭
Jenson Button gives this thoughts on what the McLaren driver could do 👇 pic.twitter.com/q8hibz7RYu
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 8, 2023
A good option for Lando Norris after 2025 would be Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton recently extended his contract with Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season. There are chances that he will be choosing to retire after this contract. In this case, Mercedes will be looking for a talented replacement. With Mercedes, Lando Norris would have a good opportunity.
There is no doubt that either of these teams will be more than happy to employ Lando Norris to drive in one of their cars. However, McLaren has been making some impressive strides as well. When the 2023 season began, McLaren was at the bottom of the field. However, McLaren brought in some upgrades that saw them fight for the podiums on a consistent basis. So there is a good chance that McLaren might start fighting for Championships soon.
Should Lando Norris leave McLaren after his contract? Post your answers in the comment section below.
