Norris 'flattered' by Toro Rosso approach

McLaren junior driver Lando Norris says he is "flattered" to have been linked with a move to Toro Rosso, but remains committed to his title bd in Formula 2. Toro Rosso have turned to Norris as a potential partner for Pierre Gasly after apparently losing faith with Brendon Hartley.

Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Kubica are among other names linked with a race seat at Red Bull's sister team.

READ MORE: McLaren 'reject Toro Rosso's Norris bid'

Hartley has picked up a solitary point since he was signed to Toro Rosso towards the back-end of last season, at this year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Kiwi has dealt with his fair share of poor fortune, notably in qualifying in Monaco last time out, having previously looked like a top-10 contender.

However, his cause has perhaps not been helped by Gasly securing impressive results in Bahrain and Monte Carlo, painting Hartley's performances in a poorer light.

It is reported by Motorsport that Toro Rosso wanted Norris beyond the end of the 2018 season, which McLaren knocked back amid uncertainty over the futures of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

"I'm flattered by the stories but I'm focussed on F2 and committed to McLaren," Norris said. "I leave this sort of thing to my management."

Norris won last year's F3 European Championship and is top of the Formula 2 standings after four races in 2018.

He won from pole on his debut outing at the Bahrain feature race. Points finishes in every race since then, including three podiums, has him 27 points clear of Renault junior Artem Markelov with eight events to go in 2018.

His immediate success in junior categories has drawn comparisons to Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren are well aware that they have a potential star in the making on their hands.

"We are not surprised that other teams approach our drivers," a spokesperson said. "They clearly believe they are as talented as we do."