F1 pundit claims Lando Norris lost out on potential deals with Mercedes or Ferrari after signing an early extension with McLaren

Formula 1 silly season is well underway with the first race of the season just under a month away. Hence, as the team prepares for the upcoming challenges, Lando Norris confirmed his stay at McLaren till at least the end of 2026. Now, renowned F1 pundit Peter Windsor raised multiple questions over Norris’ decision to sign a contract extension.

Windsor claimed that not many people on the grid were talking about Norris’ contract extension. The 71-year-old highlighted that the 24-year-old didn’t need to rush into signing the contract as seats in multiple top teams like Mercedes and Red Bull would’ve been vacant soon. Following Lewis Hamilton‘s bombshell move to Ferrari and Sergio Perez‘s expiring contract by 2024, Norris might have had a great shot with these teams.

Nobody’s talking about this, but why did he rush into signing such a long-term contract with McLaren now? He didn’t need to do that.

Windsor said on his YouTube channel.

Windsor claimed that McLaren would’ve obviously wanted to secure Norris for the future, keeping in mind the great relationship between Zak Brown and the Briton. Peter Windsor acknowledged the fact that Brown had been supporting the 24-year-old ever since his Formula 3 days, and hence they shared a great bond. But the 71-year-old also pointed towards the vacancies in Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull as well that might’ve been a great fit for the youngster. Regardless, there might have been issues with teaming up Norris with Verstappen at Milton Keynes.

It was obvious that McLaren would want to keep him because [McLaren chief executive] Zak Brown’s been supporting him and he’s been part of the Zak Brown thing going back to Formula 3. But there were potentially going to be options at Mercedes, Ferrari and maybe Red Bull.

Peter Windsor questioned Lando Norris’ choices before the commencement of the season

The F1 pundit raised questions over the 24-year-old’s choices heading into the future. However, one fact that boggled the 71-year-old was why didn’t Norris wait until a few races to finalize the contract. Apart from this, Windsor also praised the Briton over his recent performances in Formula 1.

If you’re Lando Norris – who’s on everybody’s lips as one of the great stars, Why wouldn’t you have kept your options open for at least three or four months until Monaco?

However, Lando Norris has since sealed his move to McLaren at least until the end of 2026. Additionally, if Woking provides the 24-year-old with a great challenger and fighting opportunities down the season, Norris might even extend this further. Hence, time will tell about the developments for the Briton in Formula 1.

Norris got close to Max Verstappen on multiple occasions during the 2023 season, even with an almost untouchable pace from the dominant RB19. Hence, the 2024 season would showcase the learnings that Woking took from the previous season and potentially provide great racing action in the forefront.

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