Lando Norris surprised by renewing his McLaren contract until the end of 2025, but said he sees the work with the Woking team in the long term
Lando Norris is considered one of the young talents of Formula 1 today, so much so that McLaren has guaranteed the Englishman's stay until the end of 2025. The long contract, however, surprised the motorsports world, especially because there are no exit clauses, but Norris stressed that he does not see anywhere else to be, and said that anyone who criticizes is being "ignorant" on the subject.
One of the "critics" of Norris' decision was Jenson Button, who was with McLaren from 2010 to 2016. The 2009 champion told Sky Sports at the time that the risk of a long contract is "because you never know where the team will be three years from now."
Speaking to the same Sky Sports, Norris was asked about the issue and spoke that the skepticism came "from people I have a lot of respect for," but that people often think they know too much. "They are clueless. I don't know why... everybody thinks that they know more, that 'he could have done this, he could have gone here,' but most of the time, the people who come to those conclusions don't know anything at all," he replied.
"I have a good team around me, and we know where I want to be and when, about what the team can offer me in the future. I still believe it's the best place for me, because this is where I grew up, and I know what's to come," the #4 McLaren stressed.
One expectation not only of Lando, but of everyone on the current grid was regarding the regulations for the 2022 season. It was expected that the changes would bring the teams closer together in the race for the title, but what we see is a fight emerging between Red Bull and Ferrari, with Mercedes running on the outside. McLaren is, at the moment, only the fourth force and Alpine is already threatening its position.
Norris explained, however, that he has a long-term view on his relationship with McLaren. He also questioned whether changing teams after a short time is really the best choice, using the example of his current teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.
"I have not been in that situation, so it is difficult to speak on behalf of others, but we see many drivers, not just Daniel, going from team to team, and it is not easy to get there and just get it right. It takes time. Some can do it faster than others, but it just shows the size of the challenge. You have to understand everything [about the car] to get to the limit," Norris finished.