Norris "switch coming" as Rosberg spills F1 paddock secret at Italian GP

04 September 2023 , 09:59

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Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg (Image: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg has hinted Lando Norris could leave McLaren at the end of the season, despite being under contract until 2025.

Norris has been linked with a switch to Red Bull to partner close friend Max Verstappen, with the Brit admitting he would "love an opportunity" to be teammates with the two-time F1 world champion one day.

Verstappen also admitted he and Norris have discussed the idea, telling Sky Sports in Italy: "We talk about it. But he's contracted to McLaren for a long time. We'll see what happens in the future."

However, Rosberg has suggested Norris could quit McLaren a year early, telling Sky Sports during the Italian Grand Prix: "Where's he [Norris] going? Next year already, I hear there's a switch coming."

Despite Rosberg's claims, McLaren chief Zak Brown appears confident Norris will not only see out his current contract but also sign an extension. "He loves McLaren, it's been his family, so there's no doubt in my mind is his number one choice is to win a world championship with McLaren," Brown told ESPN last month.

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"I think the best thing we do to retain him is to demonstrate to him we're a team capable of doing that. It's not a case of wooing him or not wooing him, it's about giving him a car where he can look himself in the mirror and say 'I think I can win a world championship with this team'.

"We've got our team in place. It's stable. We have additional talent coming to be additive to what we currently have. We have all the financial resources we need. It's just going to take a little bit of time so as long as we can show this progress...

Lando Norris has been linked with a move away from McLaren (Getty Images)

"'26 is going to be a huge reset for this sport and there's not going to be any excuses for us. We have everything we need from resources, people, two great drivers, all the technology, infrastructure.

"As long as [Norris] continues to see our pace and development then I think he'll have all the confidence in the world that this team's won 20 world championships and have everything they need, look at the momentum.

"You look down the grid, there's as many unknowns about '26. Red Bull with a new engine, how's that going to be? They've never done that before. There's all sorts of variables going on there and I think our story is as good as anyone's."

Matthew Cooper