Lando Norris, ‘papaya’ until 2030

McLaren announces the renewal of its world champion, Lando Norriswho had a contract until at least 2027. “McLaren is my home, and I am happy to sign a new contract that will keep me with the team until at least 2030”said the Briton in the McLaren statement.

The renewal comes just after two Grand Prix where the Bristol driver has managed to restore hope in the championship to the British brand, achieving pole and victory in both Hungary and the Netherlands.

Norris is a driver trained in the McLaren driver academy, with which he signed in 2017 and the team quickly gave him the confidence to make his debut in F1 in the 2019 season, at just 19 years old. Historically, McLaren is a team that has always trusted young people, debuting drivers like hamilton, Magnussen either Vandoorne in recent times or Gilles Villeneuve either Alain Prost in the past.

In this way, the Woking team ties the continuity of its star until at least the year 2030, just before the next change in regulations. Despite the two constructors’ championships and the drivers’ championship last year, Norris wants more. “When I started this journey nine years ago, I was very clear about the goals I wanted to achieve: to return McLaren to the top and win championships. We have achieved that goal, but we want more; We want to continue winning, and we know, as a team, that we are capable of achieving it“.

Andrea Stella, main team, is delighted to continue having a driver of Norris’s caliber in its ranks. “He is an exceptional driver, someone who combines extraordinary natural speed with maturity, perseverance and a firm commitment to McLaren, but, above all, he is a special person who is greatly appreciated by everyone in the team”.

The Briton joined the team just after the departure of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoornelanding with Carlos Sainz as a teammate. Since his arrival he has been part of the transformation of McLaren, which went from being a mid-table team to once again reigning in Formula 1.

In his first season he was 11th, with the team finishing 4th in the standings, far behind Red Bull in third position. “Along with Andrea, Oscar and the rest of the team, Lando has helped propel McLaren into a new era of successhelping us move from the back of the grid to two consecutive constructors’ titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as our first drivers’ championship in 17 years. We are very excited about what the future holds and we remain totally focused on continuing to compete for victories and championships,” highlighted the CEO of McLaren, Zack Brown.

Since the departure of Carlos Sainz at the end of the 2020 season, Norris has firmly taken control of the team (despite Piastri’s challenge last year). Proof of this is his record in classification against his peers: both with Daniel Ricciardo (35-9) as with Oscar Piastri (56-26), the difference is notable. He had also won this head-to-head in classification against Sainz (20-18), but above all in points achieved, the Spaniard’s work was more profitable for McLaren.

Given the rumors that arose about a possible arrival of Max VerstappenMcLaren makes it clear that its intention is to continue, at least with Norris, in the long term.