McLaren chief makes Lando Norris prediction as Red Bull sent contract message
Lando Norris has been backed to earn his first Formula 1 win in 2024, while McLaren have made extending his contract a "high priority" amid interest from Red Bull.
Team principal Andrea Stella believes that the British-Belgian driver, who'll be in the new livery of this year's car - the MCL38 - has everything it takes to finish top of the podium at a Grand Prix in the upcoming season. The prediction comes amid links of a move to Red Bull, something which McLaren CEO Zak Brown is taking firm steps to try and avoid.
Norris, 24, enjoyed a terrific end to the campaign as he benefited from mid-season upgrades alongside team-mate Oscar Piastri. Speaking during McLaren's 2024 launch event at their Woking headquarters, Stella explained: "If we take a look at the numbers from Austria on, Lando is the second highest scorer behind Max [Verstappen]. This reflects the quality of the driving, the delivery he is capable of, which puts him at the top of the grid.
"The first victory is always the most important, then things come slightly easier. The main reason this has not been possible is because we have not put Lando in the position to consistently compete for a victory. He is ready for that, it's more about us being ready in delivering the car that allows him to take the opportunities."
Brown went on to reveal that McLaren are desperate to extend Norris' contract beyond 2025, with Red Bull tipped to sign the 24-year-old and replace Sergio Perez, whose deal expires at the same time. "We have Lando under contract for another couple of years, of course we are in dialogue with him on a continuous basis," the CEO confirmed.
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"We are very focused now here obviously on the short term, but 2026 is not far away and we recognise that being able to retain Lando and Oscar for the foreseeable future is definitely a key element and something that is a high priority for us."
Your turn! Will Lando Norris earn his first Formula 1 win in 2024? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Brown added: "I'm very confident in the relationship that we have with Lando, I know he's very excited for this year and was very impressed with what he saw in the second half of last year. He loves working with Andrea and everyone on the team, so all we need to keep doing is keep giving him the environment that he wants to be in and then I'm confident he'll stick around."
Stella also said: "The relationship between Lando and Oscar I think is a point of strength for our team. The two have almost complimentary driver characteristics from a driving and technical point of view. For Lando it's almost unexplored as to how good he is, sometimes he surprises us with some of the performances he can put together."
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