Lando Norris, a crowd favorite, has never been one of the biggest promises. However, that might be changing as McLaren seems to have found its way up in 2023. Can Norris, possibly together with teammate Oscar Piastri, propel the British racing team to great heights?
After having given Carlos Sainz a good run for his money at McLaren, Norris quickly dealt with the highly regarded Daniel Ricciardo in 2021 and 2022. Although Ricciardo picked up McLaren’s first victory during those two seasons, Norris has proven to be the strongest driver within this duo over two years. The fact that he beats the Aussie in points with 282 to 152 says a lot: Ricciardo struggled, while Norris flourished and presented himself as a future top player.
Confidence in McLaren
Despite his good form in recent years, there are still some question marks about Norris. How representative was the power struggle with the faltering Ricciardo really? And can Norris also handle it when the pressure is on, against a good teammate like Oscar Piastri in 2023? In the past seasons, Norris had all the time and space to grow in relative calm. After all, McLaren is not (anymore) a real top team. It is partly Norris’s task to change that.
That’s why the young Brit has committed himself to McLaren until the end of 2025. A sign of confidence, as he himself emphasizes. “I see and feel how hard this team is working, how much is being invested and how great everyone’s commitment at McLaren is to compete for victories and titles in the future. That gives me a lot of confidence and that’s why it was logical to extend my contract.”
Interest from Red Bull
Logical, but also somewhat surprising, given that Red Bull would have inquired about his services. And not for the first time. Norris is clearly on the radar, although he himself did not seem very interested in a switch. As Red Bull team boss Christian Horner notes: “We have spoken to Norris a few times over the past years, but he always promptly signed new deals with McLaren the next day…”
Norris has clearly made his choice, now it’s a matter of waiting to see if it’s the right one. And how long he will keep faith and patience if McLaren cannot continue to grow and remains a sub-top team. Hopefully for Norris, he can at least show enough to come into the picture at Red Bull again…
