Red Bull reveal holding talks with Norris

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed the team tried to sign Lando Norris.

Norris agreed a new multi-year deal with McLaren in mid-May ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix following a superb start to the F1 season, notably scoring a podium in Imola.

The timing of the deal came as a surprise in one respect as it was so early in the year, with the campaign just four races old, although understandable on the other hand given Norris' prodigious talent.

It now appears McLaren's hand may have been forced at the time, given Marko's revelation, in order to fend off Red Bull's advances.

Speaking to Austrian publication OE24, Marko said: "We had talks with him, but he's tied to McLaren for the long-term. We stay true to our way."

Despite Marko proclaiming Norris has 'caught his eye', he still feels Verstappen reins as F1's top young driver.

"Max is at the top of my ranking because he can deliver immediately in all conditions and without making a mistake, which he impressively demonstrated in the rain of Sochi [in the Russian Grand Prix]," added Marko.

"He almost won the race. He only had to come into the pits one lap earlier."

Although Verstappen has had to wait until his seventh F1 season to finally challenge for the title, Marko is under no illusion Red Bull made the right call by handing him a seat so early in his career.

With Verstappen starting out at Toro Rosso before progressing to Red Bull a few races into his second F1 season, Marko added: "I'm proud that we dared to bring Max into Formula 1 at the age of 16.

"He never made me doubt our path was the right one. He is always super focused and nothing can dissuade him from his goal of winning."

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