Lando Norris Reveals He Had Other ‘Opportunities’ Before Committing His Future to McLaren Through 2030

• Lando Norris reveals he had other “opportunities” on the table before signing a new McLaren contract through 2030
• The reigning champion says loyalty to the “strong” group around him at Woking mattered more than chasing guaranteed success elsewhere
• Asked if he would ever move to Ferrari, Norris says the idea is not on his mind now but tells Martin Brundle to “ask me again at the end of 2030”

Lando Norris has revealed he had other opportunities on the table before committing his future to McLaren until at least the end of 2030.

Norris, who joined McLaren for his Formula 1 debut in 2019, says the extension was “probably the easiest contract I’ve had to sign.” But in a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle, set to air this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix, the 26-year-old admitted the decision was not made in a vacuum.

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‘Opportunities to Gamble’

“There was opportunity of course. But opportunity that is positive. There’s opportunities to gamble at times,” Norris said. “I’m a driver that personally I would take one or two tougher years over instant success, as I did a few years ago with McLaren. As much as I want to win every single year, not everything is about I need to be with a team tomorrow that’s going to win the next race and do this and do that.”

Norris pointed to the group around him at McLaren, led by chief executive Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella, as a key reason he chose to stay rather than test the market.

‘I Feel I’m at Home’

“A good amount of it is also am I just happy? I was happy to be with McLaren even when we weren’t winning because I’m still in an amazing opportunity and I still get to do the job I love and travel and do all these things,” he said. “So not everything to me is about ultimate performance. A lot of it and a big part of it is the people that I’m with.”

“Just the fact I feel I’m at home and I’m enjoying it. And that almost has enough control as saying ‘I need to be with a team that is going to be performing and winning championships’.”

Another Chance to Close on Antonelli

Norris arrives at Monza in his best form of the season, having taken pole and the win at the last two Grands Prix in Hungary and the Netherlands to cut his deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 83 points. He has another chance to make ground this Sunday, with Antonelli starting from the back of the field after Mercedes opted to fit him with a fresh power unit for his own home race.

McLaren will still have to see off George Russell, plus Ferrari’s Hamilton and Leclerc, both of whom have an upgraded engine and the backing of a home crowd that Sky Sports describes as turning Monza’s podium, overlooking the main straight, into one of the sport’s most iconic scenes.

Would Norris Ever Join Ferrari?

Brundle noted that Hamilton had once insisted he would stay at Mercedes before eventually joining Ferrari, and asked Norris whether he could ever see himself doing the same.

“That’s not something I want to think about for now. Since I was a kid, you always think of yourself in different positions,” Norris said. “My dream was always to be with McLaren. That’s why I feel like I’m in a very fortunate position as I am. But you always want to experience the other side of things, whether that is Ferrari or other teams and Mercedes. It’s just human. I think that you want to experience what it’s like to be in this position and that position.”

“Also, the history of other teams. The fact Lewis also went to Mercedes from McLaren and then to Ferrari, I think it’s also pretty cool that you try different things and you experience different stuff. It depends a little bit on what you want to achieve in your career. Do you want ultimate success every single year? Do you want to just experience what it’s like to go to a different team and experience Ferrari or Mercedes?”

“For now, I’ll say I’m not thinking of it. But ask me again at the end of 2030.”

For a driver who has just tied himself to McLaren for another four seasons, it is a small door left deliberately ajar, and one Norris seems entirely comfortable leaving that way for now.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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