Helmut Marko reveals McLaren BLOCKED Red Bull’s attempt to sign Lando Norris in 2019

Helmut Marko recalled Red Bull's discussions with Lando Norris to have the British driver ditch McLaren for Toro Rosso in 2019.

Helmut Marko reveals McLaren BLOCKED Red Bull’s attempt to sign Lando Norris in 2019

Helmut Marko and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

Lando Norris has emerged as one of the biggest talents of the new generation in Formula 1. The British driver made his debut in 2019 with McLaren. However, things could have gone far differently. Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko admitted that the Woking-based squad prevented Norris from joining Toro Rosso.

Helmut Marko revealed that Red Bull conducted discussions with Lando Norris for a seat at Toro Rosso in 2019. The Austrian giant even had a contract ready for the British driver. However, Norris was part of the McLaren driver academy at that stage.

We had serious discussions, and we had a contract ready for Lando Norris for AlphaTauri, or Toro Rosso, at that time [for 2019].
Helmut Marko said on Inside Line Podcast
YouTube video

Subsequently, as soon as the Woking-based team got to know about Red Bull’s interest, it activated a clause in Norris’ contract. This in turn blocked the British driver from joining Toro Rosso. Ultimately, Lando Norris made his debut with McLaren and now he is the main challenger to Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

FS Video
Unfortunately they [McLaren] found out... and there was a clause which stopped this cooperation with Lando Norris.
Helmut Marko explained
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Lando Norris claims McLaren not ‘running out of time’ in title fight

Lando Norris is considered as the main contender for the world title against Max Verstappen. After a podium in Monza, the British driver trails the three-time world champion by 62 points with eight races to go, a substantial margin. However, Norris is confident that he is not running out of time yet. The McLaren driver reckons that he can still win the title. Recently, Max Verstappen confessed that winning the title was no longer realistic for Red Bull.

Lando Norris (via imago)
Lando Norris (via imago)
I would not say that we are running out of time. We can still do that.
Lando Norris said, as reported by SpeedWeek

Certainly, Lando Norris would be hoping to continue his new-found form in the upcoming races. The British driver will need McLaren’s support to give his everything in this fight. However, it remains to be seen if Norris manages to defeat Verstappen by the end of the season.

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