Helmut Marko declares Lando Norris 'STRONGEST' young F1 driver who 'would suit' Red Bull

Lando Norris

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Marko declares Norris 'STRONGEST' young F1 driver who 'would suit' Red Bull

While Norris was securing his first podium of 2023, Marko and his agent were locked deep in discussions

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 12 July 2023 17:56 Updated: 18:03

Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko has said he believes Lando Norris is the 'strongest' of the up-and-coming young drivers in F1 and 'would suit' Red Bull perfectly.

Marko's remarks come after he was spotted speaking to the Brit's agent Mark Berryman at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix weekend.

McLaren ace Norris starred at his home race, claiming a highly-creditable second place behind Max Verstappen after holding off a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.

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Berryman was photographed deep in conversation with Marko as the Telegraph's Tom Cary snapped an image of the duo in the Red Bull motorhome on Sunday, where Norris' future was surely a topic of discussion.

Marko: Intensive discussions have taken place

Lando Norris led his home race for the first time after getting the better of Max Verstappen at the start

"He has a contract with McLaren until 2025, but among the young drivers, he is by far the strongest," Marko said of the Brit, as per Kleine Zeitung. "His youthful nature would also suit Red Bull the best."

Marko also confirmed "intensive discussions" have taken place previously, and that the respective parties still maintain contact.

The 80-year-old, who is never slow to make big personnel decisions – as evidenced by the decision to axe Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri after just 10 races of his rookie F1 season – made one last remark with a trademark glint in his eye.

"It's no secret that Max and he are good friends,” added Marko, never shy of stirring the pot a little.

Will the good friends become team-mates? This could get very interesting over the next few months...