17 January 2024 , 17:47
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Red Bull have been flatly told that British Formula 1 star Lando Norris is not available at any price.
But McLaren's latest attempt to throw the champions off the scent of their star racer is unlikely to deter them. Money talks in F1 and the fact Norris, 24, has a contract until the end of 2025 is of little consequence to Red Bull.
They have chased the Briton for years and he will be towards the top of their list of potential replacements for Sergio Perez. But McLaren chief executive Zak Brown insists his team will not entertain talks with Red Bull should they choose to try to buy out that contract.
"He's a great asset to the racing team," the American told Sky Sports. "There is no number we would be interested in trading him for."
McLaren are relatively secure when it comes to the immediate futures of their drivers. Norris still has those two more seasons to run on his deal, while team-mate Oscar Piastri has committed his future to the Woking-based squad after a stellar rookie campaign.
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Aware, though, that Norris could still have his head turned, Brown is keen to get the 24-year-old to sign an extension and put to bed talk of interest from Red Bull for as long as he can.
He said: "We do have a little bit more runway with both [Norris and Piastri] but, certainly, [Norris] is hot property, if you like. So, we would like to lock him down sooner rather than later.
"I think he is very much enjoying his time at McLaren - the dream is to win races and a world championship together and I think Lando is all-in for achieving that with us."
Norris has more than 100 F1 races under his belt despite his age, though he has yet to win one despite coming close on several occasions. Regardless, he is widely considered to be a potential future champion and has ambitions of achieving that goal. Pleasingly for McLaren, he has also already made it clear that he would prefer to do that with his current team if possible.
"I've always said I want to win with McLaren," he said last October. "I think we're getting closer and closer to achieving that. And not just to win races, but win championships - both drivers' and constructors'. I want to do it with McLaren. I'm very happy there."