McLaren Racing have announced that Lando Norris has signed a contract extension with the F1 squad to keep him in the team for “multiple years to come” after his current deal expires at the end of the 2025 season.
In another piece of the driver market that falls into place ahead of the new set of technical regulations that will come into effect in 2026, Lando Norris has put his faith in McLaren delivering him with a good enough platform to keep him onboard for several years, with a brand-new contract extension keeping the 24-year-old in the Woking squad for multiple seasons after his current deal, which was set to expire in 2025, originally.
However, much like Charles Leclerc’s recently announced new contract with Scuderia Ferrari, there is no clear indication of what’s the exact duration of Norris’s new deal, with it only being stated as a “multi-year” bond.
Speaking in a press release confirming the news, Norris stated that his deep connection with the squad – which dates back to 2017 when he was still racing in the then-Formula 3 European Championship – makes it feel like a family for him:
“It’s a great feeling to be staying in papaya. I’ve grown up with McLaren and feel at home here, the team are like family to me. The journey so far has been exciting, we’ve had ups and downs, but last season showed our desire to get back to competing at the front of the grid.”
He also expressed how he is “confident” that the team will provide him with a car that can regularly compete for race wins in the near future and create “amazing memories”:
“The work Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and the whole team have put in over the last year has been incredible,” he said. “And I’m confident in challenging for wins with McLaren. I’m excited to create more amazing memories and continue working hard with everyone at MTC for the next few years.”
Team principal Andrea Stella said the new deal shows how there is shared confidence from both parties that the partnership can result in great success in the next few years, and has set the target of “fighting for world championships again” – something which McLaren have failed to do since 2012:
“I’m pleased to confirm the extension of our partnership with Lando on a multi-year contract beyond 2025. This reflects the commitment and confidence we have together,with our shared ambition to ultimately win championships again in the future.
“Lando has grown as a driver and a person since initially joining McLaren in 2017,” said Stella. “He impressed last season, playing an important role in our progress throughout the year, securing seven podiums with many fantastic drives.”
He also went on to praise the “exciting” dynamic between the two McLaren drivers, stating that Norris and Piastri will be “instrumental” in helping the team regain the sort of race winning performance it once had in the last decades:
“Alongside Oscar, our exciting driver pairing will play an instrumental part in our objective to move towards the front of the grid.
“They have impressed in their first season together and I’m looking forward to continuing the hard work with them both on this exciting journey.”
CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown also shared his enthusiasm at being able to retain Norris’ services beyond 2025, and praised the “fundamental” part the Briton played in their mid-season revival in 2023:
“I’m delighted that we’re continuing our relationship with Lando for multiple years to come,” said Brown. It’s been a fantastic journey over the last six years, and he has shown fantastic commitment and desire to push the team forward and get McLaren back to the front of the grid.
“Last season we saw the fundamental role Lando played with the impressive turnaround in results and I’m looking forward to continuing this push forward together with lots more podiums.”
