Lando Norris has refused to rule out ditching McLaren for an F1 rival amid links to Red Bull ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. Although Norris threw his support behind McLaren, he accepted he was “impatient” and could look around the grid for another seat.
It comes as Norris continues to be linked to Red Bull as pressure mounts on Sergio Perez. Norris told Sky Sports F1: “At the back of my mind there’s always that impatient game of do I stick out for another few years or is it time to look at something different.”
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has previously revealed holding talks with Norris in the past over a potential move. But this may be on the cards with Helmut Marko holding talks with Norris’ agent, Mark Berryman, at the British Grand Prix.
Marko also suggested the 23-year-old would be an ideal match alongside Max Verstappen with the duo enjoying a close friendship. The Austrian told Kleine Zeitung: “He has a contract with McLaren until 2025, but among the young drivers, he is by far the strongest. His youthful nature would also suit Red Bull the best.”
However, Norris admitted his priority was still with McLaren and made it clear he would not walk away if the team’s form continued to improve. The British manufacturer struggled earlier on this season with the team at the lower ends of the midfield.
But, they have enjoyed a staggering resurgence in recent events with Norris securing podiums at the past two races. When asked if a fast McLaren was enough to keep him around, Norris explained: “Yeah of course. I want to win races with McLaren.
“I want to win it in papaya. I want to win championships. I want to achieve my success and my goals within McLaren. That’s been my target since I’ve come here. Since I’ve entered Formula One with this team. I’m a loyal guy from that point of view. They gave me a chance in Formula One and I want to deliver and achieve success with them.
“I think it’s the coolest story at the same time to go from where we were a few years ago. A team that was really struggling to fighting back and being that first team to really come back from a long way and fight for championships and wins would be a cool story to look back on.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown was confident the team could retain Norris’ services if they continued to improve on-track. He commented: “I think the way you keep him is you give him a good race car.
“And as long as we can give him a good race car, he loves the environment, he loves the team, he’s been on this journey.”
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