Lando Norris in February signed a deal through to the end of the 2025 season with McLaren; the British driver has now revealed he spoke to several other teams before agreeing the contract; Norris says he "could be happier" at McLaren but is pleased with the "security" of his deal
Wednesday 2 November 2022 12:12, UK
Lando Norris has confirmed he spoke to Red Bull - and several other teams - before signing a long-term contract extension with McLaren earlier in 2022.
In February the 22-year-old penned a deal that will keep him with McLaren until the end of 2025, but recently revealed - in an interview with German publication Auto Motor und Sport - that he had held discussions with Red Bull.
Asked on Thursday, ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, whether his comments had been accurately understood and translated, Norris confirmed the talks had happened, and provided further context.
"It's more just I was coming to the end of my contract, and it wasn't like we (Red Bull and I) were talking heavily," Norris said.
"I literally said, it was just, everyone always tries to speak to all teams at some point, so I spoke to them, I spoke to a few other people.
"A chat's a chat, it's not like, 'what we can do straight away?' Just keeping in touch, things like that, it's as simple as that sometimes.
"It was just coming to the end of the contract, you see what options are available, you just kind of find out what's possible, what might be possible over the next few years.
"It wasn't just Red Bull. Every driver has chats with a lot of the different teams on what could happen, and it's as simple as that basically."
Norris has maintained his status as one of the sport's hottest properties by comprehensively outperforming outgoing team-mate Daniel Ricciardo this season, despite McLaren failing to produce a car capable of competing with the front-runners.
While he says that he "could be happier" at McLaren with a more competitive car, Norris insists that he prefers the "security" of a long-term deal over the excitement of talks as a soon-to-be free agent.
"I've always been happy with McLaren, as much as I could be happier, I've always been happy," Norris said. "Before I've ever spoken to anyone else, my talks have always been with McLaren first, that's always how it goes.
"As much as sometimes you might like what could happen, the best thing for me is signing the contract that I have now, just having that confidence that you're going to be in F1, and the knowledge that you're going to be in F1 for three, four, five years.
"For me that's like the best feeling, just because it makes you more relaxed, more comfortable in the environment that you're in."
