Earlier this week Ferrari announced a multi-year contract extension with Charles Leclerc.
Now the week draws to a close with another team announcing a new deal for a young and talented driver.
McLaren announced on Friday a “multi-year contract extension” with Lando Norris. Norris was set to see his current contract run out at the end of the 2025 season, but now he will be with the team beyond that timeframe, and into the next set of regulations for the sport, which come into play for the 2026 season.
The team announced the move in a video posted on social media Friday morning:
In a statement, both McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella sang the driver’s praises.
“I’m delighted that we’re continuing our relationship with Lando for multiple years to come. 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,” said Brown. “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.”
“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,” added Stella. “Lando has grown as a driver and a person since initially joining McLaren in 2017. He impressed last season, playing an important role in our progress throughout the year, securing seven podiums with many fantastic drives.
“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.”
When I spoke with Brown last October, he told me emphatically that in his view, McLaren has the best driver pairing on the grid. With Norris and Oscar Piastri, the team has a dynamic, young duo that was integral to the team’s charge up the Constructors’ standings. McLaren got off to a slow start last season, but some upgrades to the MCL60 — and that talented duo — saw the team rocked up the standings in the second half to ultimately finish fourth.
Now with those drivers locked up for the foreseeable future — McLaren inked Piastri to a contract extension of his own last fall to keep him in papaya through 2026 — they are eying a charge even higher up the table.