Will Lando Norris leave McLaren amidst its ongoing performance crisis?

Lando Norris is one of the highly talented drivers on the Formula 1 grid. The 23-year-old is McLaren’s biggest asset. The team relies on him and vice versa. Norris has established himself in the sport. But he is yet to get his first race win in the series. He has the skill. But what about the car? Norris needs a car, that is capable of winning. And right now, McLaren does not have one. Norris will eventually leave McLaren if they do not provide him with a good car. 

McLaren’s 2023 season started on the back foot. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had a terrible start to the season at the Bahrain GP. Norris was 2 laps behind the race leader, Max Verstappen, and Piastri had technical issues that ended his race. Things did not get better in the second round of the season. Norris finished 17th and Piastri 15th. The MCL60 did not have the pace to get both drivers into points. 

Looking at the series of events, the best option for Norris would be to leave the team. There are valid reasons for him to leave McLaren. He is too talented to stay in a place where he cannot showcase his full potential. Norris is still young, and the other teams on the grid would be thrilled to have him. However, the question is, where will he go? The teams right now are happy with their driver’s line-up. But, they would open a spot if Norris was in the market.

Related: F1 Australian GP: “Nothing to do with reliability,” Helmut Marko gives an insight into Sergio Perez’s early qualifying exit 

Lando Norris’ McLaren contract

Lando Norris has been with McLaren his whole F1 career. He made his debut with the team in 2019. In 2022, the young Briton signed a contract extension until the end of 2025. Norris enjoyed moderate success with this team initially. Though he has several podiums, he does not have a race win. It is understandable if the 23-year-old gets frustrated due to this. Time and again, Norris has mentioned his goal is to win races and championships. McLaren needs to provide him with a worthy car.

McLaren CEO, Zak Brown revealed that Norris does not have exit clauses. This means the Briton will have to stay with the team till 2025, irrespective of their performance. So when the contract is up, he will be allowed to leave. McLaren was once the leading midfielder, But, they now stand last in the constructors. However, this reputed team has the potential to get back on its feet.  

Norris’ McLaren plans for the 2023 season

Norris had set “realistic” goals for the 2023 season. He knew they would not be able to challenge the front runners like Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and now Aston Martin. The Briton hopes to close the gap with the teams ahead by 2024. Lando Norris has given McLaren time to get back on their feet. The team wants to be competitive and win again.

McLaren recently announced their restructuring program. The team made several changes, it includes the termination of their technical director, James Key. Apart from that, they are hiring highly talented engineers to help with their aero development. Norris mentioned he had complete faith in Andrea Stella, the team principal, and Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO. Any changes made by them would be for the betterment of the team. 

As per Norris’ contract, he does not have a choice but to stay with the team until 2025. Zak Brown stated Norris is happy with the team and is not looking to leave. However, there are constant whispers about Norris’s future. But, Brown is happy with his drivers. Oscar Piastri is the new addition to the team. He replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 season. 

Lando Norris has six podiums in Formula 1. He has 428 career points. In the 2022 season, he was the only driver apart from Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes to get on the podium. He is too talented to stay with a mid-team that cannot provide him with a good car. End of the day, it is all about winning, and the drivers make strategic choices. McLaren will hopefully turn things around soon. The team will bring updates in the 2023 season, they need to hang tight until then. 

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