Norris opens up with intriguing F1 'conspiracies' take

Lando Norris at Silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Norris opens up with intriguing F1 'conspiracies' take

Norris says he enjoyed reading about the many paddock rumours reported in the media regarding his F1 future

Shay Rogers

Thursday 1 February 2024 11:58 Updated: 12:21

Lando Norris has opened up on his abrupt negotiations with rival F1 teams before he signed a fresh contract with McLaren which takes him beyond the 2026 season.

The Brit enters his sixth season as a McLaren driver in 2024, and the team showed significant signs of improvement last season.

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri now tied down for multiple years, the team has a solid base to work with moving forwards.

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Having poached engineering talent from Red Bull, the team could be in the best position of anyone to challenge the reigning champions in 2024.

Lando Norris clambers out of the MCL60 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

McLaren service Lando Norris' car during a pitstop in the 2023 season

Norris: I’ve picked McLaren

Speaking to the Formula 1 website about the deal, Norris joked that he enjoyed seeing the rumours online, and that it was important to show his trust in McLaren.

“I think from my side, to get everyone here at McLaren just that bit more, you know, confident within me, and [it] shows my confidence in the whole team,” he said “I think that’s really the most important thing I’m happiest about with getting the contract out.

“They’re even more assured that I’m committed to the team and staying, and that I’ve picked McLaren over Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, whatever team it could have been. They now have that reassurance that I’ve picked McLaren over all of them.

“I think it’s more for them than it is for myself and all these things, but I do enjoy seeing the rumours and the conspiracies every now and then – so, yeah, I think that’s the main reason for it.”

Yet to secure his first win in Formula 1, there’s a possibility that Norris could be in with his best shot at glory to date in 2024 as he continues to show faith in the Woking based outfit.

The internal restructuring which occurred last winter appears to have injected new life into the team and helped to propel them in a more promising direction for the future.

Red Bull McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri