26 January 2024 , 18:02
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Lando Norris admitted talks with rival Formula 1 teams - but "shut them down" before committing his future to McLaren.
The team announced on Friday that the Brit has signed a "multi-year" extension. It will keep him with the team into the 2026 season and beyond, ensuring McLaren's driver line-up is set for the next three years.
The Woking-based squad felt the need to fast-track talks amid interest from F1's top teams. Red Bull have been keeping tabs on Norris for years and the 24-year-old would surely have been near the top of the list of potential replacements for Sergio Perez later this season.
But they weren't the only ones understood to have been keen. Ferrari were also keeping tabs on the Brit, with Carlos Sainz contract talks delayed in case the McLaren man were to become available.
While he did not specify which teams, Norris admitted he has spoken with other teams about his future. But he was quick to make it clear that sticking with his current employer was always the preferred choice.
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"Everyone speaks to everyone and every driver speaks to every team," he told reporters. "It's not in terms of just sorting contracts. It's what can one team offer you, and what can another team offer you, and things like that. It's the same with every driver. Everyone speaks to every team on what could we potentially do one day, but nothing ever progressed more than that, basically. So yeah, it was shut down quite quickly.
"And, of course, as soon as you do start to get some of these questions, and I see a lot of it, then you have talks internally with Andrea [Stella] and Zak [Brown] and whoever it is here at McLaren. Then you start talking about your own stuff and you do want to put some of these rumours to bed, because it's not a good question at the team."
Norris did not need to commit his future at this stage - his previous contract ran until the end of 2025. But he felt comfortable making this decision regardless, adding: "It's not something that I want to really worry about over the next few years.
"Obviously, there's always been these discussions going on [regarding] our future. And I think it's just a very, very good time, especially when it's going to be coming to a couple of years where things start to get a bit more crazy with everyone else's contracts, and people potentially moving teams and things like that.
"Going into '26, and those years of new regulations, that's not something I think I or the team want to be thinking of, or focusing on, or spending any time on in such an important couple years. I'm comfortable, I'm happy with where I am, and the team are happy with me. So it's just an easy decision."