Lando Norris may have saved Sergio Perez's Red Bull career with McLaren deal
News of a new contract for Lando Norris is massive for two of the biggest Formula 1 teams.
Firstly, it is massive for the future of McLaren. It is a team that has been on the up for several years now, but which has yet to break through as a bona fide title contender.
Norris will need for that to happen for him and, clearly, he still has faith that his employers will get the job done. He has committed to racing for McLaren in 2026 and beyond, putting to an end - for now, at least - intense speculation that he might be on the move.
Secondly, it is just as significant for Red Bull, the team with which the Brit has been heavily linked for years. And with good reason - the F1 champions have been trying to sign him for years and Norris was at the top of the list for potential Sergio Perez replacements this year.
No doubt, Norris' commitment to McLaren is a boost to Perez and his chances of keeping hold of his Red Bull seat beyond this season. The Mexican's place is under threat following an underwhelming 2023 season in which he was wholly eclipsed by Max Verstappen.
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Team principal Christian Horner will consider his options before deciding whether to replace him at the end of the year. By tying Norris down to a new deal, McLaren have all-but removed the best of those options. Red Bull have chased the Brit for years, but haven't managed to get their man.
Norris has a loyalty to McLaren that is unquestionable - the questions have instead been reserved for whether the team can provide him with a car in which he can put his title ambitions to the test.
Fortunately for the team, its progress in recent years has clearly been enough to convince the star man that a title shot is coming, if he shows patience. And, indirectly, Norris' new contract may be what saves Perez's place at Red Bull.
He will still have to perform this year, of course, and with much more consistency than he managed last term. And there are still others who will threaten his place - Daniel Ricciardo, for example, wants his old seat back and will have the chance to audition this year racing for Red Bull's sister team.
But Horner and adviser Helmut Marko, a key decision-maker when it comes to drivers, must be sure that any driver with whom they replace Perez will fare better in his place. Norris was pretty much a guarantee of that - now that he's off the table for 2025, Perez's odds of winning a new deal himself have surely shortened.
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