Earlier this week, Ferrari announced a multi-year contract extension with Charles Leclerc.
As the week draws to a close, another team has announced a new contract with a young and talented driver.
McLaren announced on Friday a “multi-year contract extension” with Lando Norris. Norris' current contract was set to expire at the end of the 2025 season, but he is now scheduled to stay with the team beyond that date and enter the sport's next regulation, which will take effect from the 2026 season. .
The team announced the move in a video posted to social media Friday morning.
In a statement, both McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella praised the driver.
“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Lando over the coming years. The last six years have been a fantastic journey and he has shown great dedication and drive to take the team forward and return McLaren to the front of the grid. .” Said brown. “Last season we saw Lando play a fundamental role with an impressive turnaround in results and I look forward to continuing this progress and scoring more podiums.”
“We are delighted to confirm that we are extending our partnership with Lando on a multi-year contract beyond 2025. It reflects the commitment and confidence we have.” Added Stella. “Since joining McLaren in 2017, Lando has grown as both a driver and a person. We secured two podiums.”
“Alongside Oscar, our exciting driver pairing will play a key role in our aim of progressing to the front of the grid. They have impressed in their first season together. I look forward to continuing our hard work with both of them on this exciting journey.”
When I spoke to Brawn last October, he emphasized that in his opinion McLaren had the best driver combination on the grid. In Norris and Oscar Piastri, the team has a dynamic young duo who will be essential to moving up the constructors' standings. McLaren got off to a slow start last season, but with some upgrades to the MCL60 and its talented duo, the team moved up the standings in the second half and ultimately finished fourth.
These drivers are currently being detained for the time being – Piastri with McLaren ink Last fall, he extended his own contract, keeping him at Papaya until 2026. They are aiming for a contract even higher up the rankings.
