Question marks raised against Lando Norris’ decision to pen new McLaren contract
Lando Nor🌳ris is off the market at a time when Mercedes and Red Bull 🎉are considering new drivers

Doubts have been raised about why 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris chose to commit himself to McLaren long-term.
Norris signed a new multi-year deal with his existing team ahead of the 2024 F1 season.
But, since thꦏen, Lewis Hamilton confirmed his 2025 move to Ferrari and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is now staggeringly being linked to Mercedes.
Norrisꦗ is out of the running for a hectic silly season bec💎ause of his decision to commit to McLaren.
Naomi Schiff told Sky Sports th🎐at she was surprised Norris chose to commit with two years remaining on his previous deal: “Absolutely. There was no need for him to sign that contract now.
“He still had a couple of years at McLaren signed for, alread💯y.
“There is a new set of regu🧸lations coming out in 2026. I understand, last year, that they totally turned the situation around and Max “Verstappen was the only driver to out-score La𒀰ndo in the second part of the season.
“So, yes, there is excitement in the team.
“Who knows what that car will be like in 2026?
“Lando is a driver who is incredibly ambitious. He🐽 wꦏants really big things for himself.
“You want to leave yourse🐬lf in a position to do that. To sign so early…
“He k✤nows the 🥀details. He has made his decision. I can’t comment more on that.
“But I would have waited.”
Damon Hill wondered if Norris ꧙and McLaren agreed their new contract while knowing about the deal that Hamilton and Ferrari were thrashing out.
Hill ask🧸ed: “They must have got wind of what was going on…
“Once you look around at t🌊he sharp end, it looks ve🌌ry difficult.
“Sticking with a t♋eam on the up was his logic. That was the way he explained it: ‘They𝄹 are going places, I am comfortable in this team, I believe in this team…’
“Sticking to it, in the ab🌊sence of any🏅 obvious option, yes.
If there was somethingꦿ that ever unexpectedly came up, then these guys go into negotiations.
“You can’t hold someone to a team 𓄧if they don’t w💛ant to be there.
“But I don’t expect that to happen.
“I think he fits well with McL✨aren. They can keep offering him a future.
“They are progressing every 💛closer to the front end. Then, he will stay there.”
McLaren enjoyed an uplift in form in the second half of last year, pro♛pelling Norris and Oscar Piastri onto the podium.
Norris then finished in P6 at the season-opening F1 Bahrain Grand Prix at the weekend, a result which failed to lꦅive up the hype aroun👍d McLaren as Red Bull’s closest competitors.

James was a sports joဣurnalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from Amer🌊ican sports, to football, to F1.