www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2024/mclaren-racing-announce-multi-year-contract-renewal-with-lando-norris/
McLaren Racing announce multi-year contract renewal with Lando Norris
F1 teams STOP ending silly season before it gets started please ❤
at this rate we have the same grid in 2025 too
Three years in a row of the same grid makes me sad. I wanted something like Lando to Ferrari, Charles to Mercedes and Albion to McLaren. This is just boring now :-(
Albion? The Branded Fallen of Albon moves to McLaren?
Albion? The Branded Fallen of Albon moves to McLaren?
He means HMS Albion being potentially scrapped early by UK and wants her transferred to McLaren instead for amphibious Grand Prix...
F1 powerboat racing time
....I have a new idea for a track
Given the length of the Miami GP contract you might not be far off
Take a US Navy Gerald R. Ford class CVN and make a track on the flight deck. I only say GRF class because I think it’d be the only ship that would be close to big enough to fit a not completely oval shaped track, but with only 25,641 square meters it’s a tight fit either way… and pit “road” is gonna be in the hangars below the flight deck.
I didn't know I wanted this but now it is the only thing that I want.
Albon, Perez, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Zhou will all vacate their seats imo… we will still get our silly season.
If Williams follows it's upward trajectory that began last year, why would Albon leave? Can you think of a team with more potential that could offer him a seat?
And when you say 'vacate their seats' do you mean they will leave their current teams, and find other seats? Or that they will leave F1 altogether?
Because I can see Perez, Magnussen and Zhou leaving F1... If Haas is going to keep one driver, I think it will be Hulkenberg imo...
Yeah, the idea of Albon leaving next year makes no sense to me either. Aside from "where would he go," he's playing a major role in renewing Williams and it seems to be working very well for both him and the team. Why stop that trajectory now?
Sainz and Perez’s moves are going to dictate how silly season turns out. Albon will likely fill one of their spots.
Why would Albon move? Because he wants to compete for wins and as positive as Williams’ trajectory is, they’re not going to be winning races any time soon.
What do you think the odds are of Albon returning to RB as long as Max is still there? The tossup between a front-marker car and returning to that dynamic...he's been there, done that, knows the score, and while he parted with RB on good terms, the question of staying at a midfield team where he's got a good thing going on, and returning to the incredibly awkward and high-stress position of being RB's second driver, is a big one. (Edit: especially with Danny seeming to be an obvious contender for Perez's seat, that makes Albon to RB while Max is still signed an even bigger question mark for me.)
2021 Albon is not the same as 2024-2025 Albon. Dynamics change, team need changes, i think thinking about it from a sports business perspective where you evaluate the value and skill of player for who they are now, not what they used to be, makes Albon a very legitimate option for RB.
Albon himself said he isn’t ruling out RB. Why would he? He wants wins. He comes off as very grounded and knows he’s not going to beat Max but he can absolutely compete for the odd wins the same way Perez is right now.
If Albon goes to Red Bull he's likely going to win two races a year when Max has a problem, and maybe even have a shot at a WDC if Max does a Rosberg after his fifth or sixth title. No chance of either of those things at Williams.
Yea. He hasn't gotten a win yet, so I could see him eventually leaving Williams if they can't get him a car that can win, but that would be well down the road. At 27, I can't think of many better jobs than leading a (hopeful) Williams comeback.
No driver wants a project unless wins are forecasted in the foreseeable future. Mclaren, and Aston Martin are those projects whilst Williams isn't. The trajectory that Williams is in has a ceiling of a mid-table team that will attract mid-table drivers, and young drivers who are not just simply looking for a drive.
But the trend really has been that the big drivers just stay put. Verstappen just stays at Red Bull, as does Leclerc at Ferrari and Hamilton at Mercedes. Alonso moves a lot, but after those 4, the biggest name is probably Norris and he also just stays put.
Moves like Hamilton from McLaren to Mercedes or Vettel from Red Bull to Ferrari just don't seem to happen anymore.
Well, we had more team principal changes than drivers changes on the last 2 years... go figure.
Well... at least we know Checo likely won't be in the same seat in 2025
What if he finally fullfills his Next YearTM prophecy and becomes WDC with a 200 point gap?
Umm, excuse me, the "Next Year" is exclusive trademark of Ferrari! Checo can have "el próximo año"TM 😤
Like Reddit knew he’d retire after Mexico, or after AD? If he performs this year, they could sign him to single year contracts
True, but "If he performs reliably for a whole season for the first time since he joined Red Bull" is a pretty big "if"
Yes. People don't want to hear that but it's reality. Audi/Sauber are the only realistic chances at movement for next year. Everyone is going to want to keep their experienced drivers. Williams won't move on from Logan unless a better, more experienced option comes up.
It makes sense though. With how the new regs have gone I don't think there are many teams that feel their drivers are currently the limiting factor. There's a lot more time to be found in car development than there is in replacing drivers right now. Plus the teams probably want to have consistency in the driver seat while they develop the car so the teams have no incentive to switch out their lead driver. Once the law of diminishing returns kicks in on car development we might start to see more movement in the driver market.
Could we please change from keeping the grid and constantly changing the race calendar to changing the grid and keeping the calendar constant? If I see one more street circuit, I'm gonna puke!
Silly season getting real serious.
Piastri probably will also stay for 3 or 4 years at mclaren so they are probably gonna ruin silly season for a long time
It's actually more boring than ever, all the top teams (bar Mercedes purely due to Lewis' age) are sticking with their lead drivers long term and seem to have no intention of changing anything.
F1 now is more static than ever, I feel sorry for all the F2 drivers trying to get in and knowing you basically have to win the championship to have a chance with how things are set.
Well I'd say that's because there's no current F2 drivers with Max's type of potential. If you have a clear new Max in the horizon, you'd see most if not all F1 teams signing them up, just like how Max was signed when he entered. It just that the current groups of top drivers are all really really good and really really young
Young drivers always need to prove themselves by pushing the old guys out of the door, like Max did with Daniel & Charles did with Seb.
I'm a Max fan, so I like the status quo for him and around him from a results perspective. But I can't help to miss big driver moves like when Vettel and Hamilton went to Ferrari and Mercedes. Why can't we have Charles at Red Bull or Hamilton to Ferrari.
It would have been fun tho.
I guess Lando had a good talk with Horner this week.
He’s like the only one who’s shied away from facing Max in the same car, don’t know who else wouldn’t take the seat. Sucks that Lando would rather bank on McLaren outdeveloping Red Bull instead of believing he can beat Max himself.
I feel like the people gunning for that seat is accepting a spot as a nr. 2.
The people who want to be nr 1 aren't looking at the Red Bull seat while Max is there.
Are we just forgetting about Daniel Ricciardo torpedoing his entire career to avoid driving in the same car as Max?
I don’t think anyone on the grid could beat Max in the same car right now so fair enough.
would it hurt Mclaren/Ferrari to tell us the number of YEARS please. It says multi year tho so I’m assuming until atleast 2027?
Anyways, congrats to Mclaren, Lando’s a great driver and I think with Stella at the helm they have what it takes. I thought he would’ve atleast seen out how 24/25 go and how the market looks but I guess he has faith in the car and the team and looking at the hype around the car, I do think they’ll be in the skirmish for P2 this year.
Interesting how Max/Charles/Lando/George are pretty much Franchise drivers for their respective teams.
I bet they’re not saying it because there are clauses that could allow Lando to leave early if a RB/Merc/Ferrari seat opens up and McLaren aren’t performing.
Zak brown said pretty clearly before he doesn’t give those clauses. Unless something changed, I doubt it
I refuse to believe a driver of Lando’s caliber would sign a contract that doesn’t say “i get Lewis’ seat if it vacates”
I don't know why Merc would give Lando a seat, if they're betting big on George though. It feels a bit weird to me to have both of them, when they were both protagonists at multiple stages of their junior career. Not sure either would want the prospect
Totally agree. That wouldn’t be a smart lineup on their part which is probably why barring some crazy Rosberg level moves he’s at McLaren for the long haul
Rightly or wrongly, Lando and Charles are kinda stuck where they are, and can only hope their teams get it right and beat competition. The only move for either is switching to Audi like Lewis, but that's an unknown
Rightly or wrongly, Lando and Charles are kinda stuck where they are
Kinda. Charles ia good enough to replace Lewis (or George). Toto would be foolish not to sign him if he were available.
But Charles (for better or worse) is a Ferrari guy.
All due respect, why would Lando move on from McLaren right now? The car is made for him, he's the bonafide #1 driver and by the end of last year, McLaren was solidly the 2nd best car on the circuit. And now they just opened the new wind tunnel which you would expect to pay big dividends going forward.
Ferrari has been spinning tires for 2 decades and they haven't shown any ability to get it back. Merc looks to be battling from behind and while Toto says the car is good, he also said the same thing the last 2 years, and Lando would be the #2 driver at RB. The situation he has is the best one for him for now and likely going forward. If it weren't for Max and RB having a ridiculously good run last year, Lando probably wins at least 2 or 3 races last year in the McLaren. And that's with a car that both he and Piastri say can still be a lot better.
If you're in Lando's shoes it's in your best interest to negotiate an easy exit in your contract in case McLaren go tits up. A lot can happen in a year, especially in F1!
p.s. The seat I think he should really avoid is the Red Bull with Verstappen opposite.
Lewis’s seat 8 years ago is maxs seat today.
Not sure why lando would leap to the bouncing Mercedes over McLaren that’s finally starting to deliver.
Would you also refuse to believe a team of McLaren's history would sign that contract?
I bet it changed. Because Lando has become very hot talent in F1. After the year Lando had in '23, I'm pretty sure he can demand those clauses. ESPECIALLY after how many times it was reported last year that RB wants Lando so bad...
I have no proof ofc, we are all guessing here. But looking from the outside, Lando is the party that has more leverage in this situation. Especially since, while Oscar had a GREAT season last year, his race pace to Lando tells Zak that he can't YET use "We can replace you as Team Leader with Oscar"
I agree with this analysis. I also think Zac is shrewd enough to know that the odds of winning a championship if they can build the right car are much better with Lando than without him (with great respect to Oscar) but if they don't deliver the car, Lando has to have earned the right to go elsewhere.
That said, it's not like he has an immediate option to jump into a winning car if McLaren isn't one. My guess is that there's a trapdoor, but only at year 2 or 3 of this contract. If Zac is good, he'll have locked Lando in until someone else can take the Perez and maybe the Hamilton seat, but I have a feeling Lewis has about eight reasons to stick around.
probably a hot opinion but Lando was better in 22 than 23.
22 he maximized the car every single race, even when sick
23 he had a few opportunities to capitalize and made mistakes.
still think hes a top 5 driver with Max/Lewis/Charles/Alonso but yeah
Lando’s contract that didn’t have exit clauses was when McLaren was still taking a chance on him and developing him. Lando has enough leverage now that he could get a top drive if Zak doesn’t agree to a compromise on terms. All it would take it a phone call to Horner. The only reason Lando has for staying at McLaren is if he likes it there (loyalty), and the contract is to his terms.
https://formu1a.uno/en/zak-brown-norris-mclaren-contract-has-zero-exit-clauses/
Zak said Lando had no exit clauses in his contract that expired after 2025.
So either Lando is supremely confident in McLaren nailing the 26 regs, or the "multi year" is simply a renegotiation that is a 1 year extension that includes 24 & 25 to make it "multi year" while still expiring after 26.
I imagine generally speaking it's all vulnerable//susceptible to circumstance. They let Sainz go because the deal worked out okay.
If McLaren don't perform and Norris loses interest, they won't want him to stay anyway.
Lol.
There's no way in hell Lando signed on for "multiple years" without some kind of escape clause. Zak changed his story, trust me.
"I won't renew without an option to leave if a seat with RB or Mercedes opens up."
"I'll never give that, I can pay you a LOT though." - Zak.
"Well then, I guess I won't renew, let's see what happens in the summer."
You think Zak was like, yeah let's call Lando's bluff? Come on.
Zak Brown said a lot of things. A driver like Lando isn't going to sign a contract without clauses
I’d imagine Ferrari is to 2026 with an option to stay on if they nail the new regulations. Probably the same with Lando, because everything changes soon.
because everything changes soon.
Your comment made me really think about how DRASTIC the potential for change is going to be... Just with Power Units alone, there are going to be SIX new suppliers! And they can end up in pretty much ANY order...
Sure, the more experienced and better financed teams will likely be better, but there is NO certainty...
Yeah it’s basically going to be a chance for every team to totally reset
Lando could honestly be a McLaren lifer, which would be extremely cool to see. Is he the third longest tenured driver behind Max and Hamilton? I can’t think of anyone else on the grid who’s been with their team longer.
Leclerc’s been with Ferrari for just as long, but outside of those two I dont think there’s anyone else whose been at their team that long. Pretty insane considering Lando’s only 24.
I can understand lando’s first contract being locked in , it’s still unusual for a new driver rookie to get such a guaranteed locked in contract with that length of term with no out clauses. I wonder whom negotiated that contract ?
User deleted comment
5mo
I really thought Leclerc and Norris were in the same rookie class. Thanks!
Charles has the same number of races with Ferrari as Lando has with McLaren. Both of them had their 100th race in Austin this last season. Also Stroll started with Aston (then Force India) in 2019 as well, though he missed a few races so depending on if you're going by seasons at a team or number of races he could also qualify.
When Lewis retires, I predict Lando will jump to Merc
I think it depends how George does... If it's obvious that George can deliver 'team leader' performances, I doubt Toto would want to relive the Lewis-Nico situation...
Plus don't forget Kimi Antonelli's meteoric rise! If his trajectory keeps going up, he will definitely be the next "highly anticipated rookie" kinda like how Oscar was last season...
If Kimi keeps up his performance, I firmly believe he will be poached by Ferrari. I don't care what clauses he has with Merc, Ferrari would kill for an Italian Champion.
I guess we will have to see how long Carlos' contract turns out to be...
would it hurt Mclaren/Ferrari to tell us the number of YEARS please. It says multi year tho so I’m assuming until atleast 2027?
Didn't Danny Ric have the same question during DTS ?
an article on the f1 site says the leclerc contract is fixed until 2026 and then provides extension options based on performance from both sides. i suspect it’s the same in this case
Pretty sure most teams will have this now. Everything changes in 2026, and no driver will want to be tied to a team who gets it wrong.
This deal is being reported as until the end of 2026 at least. So it seems like there's probably no "Mercedes clause" but more likely a performance target for Ferrari and McLaren in 2026 otherwise the driver is free to leave. Like Vettel and Red Bull in 2014, or even Max's current contract.
would it hurt Mclaren/Ferrari to tell us the number of YEARS please
It's not a particularly new thing. Alonso was just announced as a "Multi year contract" at Aston, same with Russell at Mercedes and Bottas at Alfa just as a couple of examples.
Oh I know, its just annoying to not have a confirmed year set in place. I get it’s practical with performance clauses etc and contracts in F1 aren’t really the end all be all, but ‘multi-year contract’ is just annoyingly vague.
Is there a reason F1 is so secretive about them? Every other sports league I can think of (to be fair, I definitely don't know all of them) has the contracts publicly available.
Because of stuff like "exit clauses" and "performance clauses". If, for example, RB knows how Lando's contract is worded, they will have the upper hand when trying to win him over. They can say "hey, we know you have a such-and-such exit clause, that you can leave McLaren if they are performing badly, so we know you CAN leave, and we won't have to pay out your contract with McLaren" etc etc.
It's a corny saying, but 'Knowledge is power' and can mean a difference of millions of dollars when it comes to contracts. Plus it's an image thing too, right? If sponsors know that Lando can leave if McLaren performs badly, they might be hesitant. Versus if they know he is going to be there for 4 years, so they can confidently invest in sponsoring (if Lando is their main draw)
Till end of 2026 probably
Probably because it is not set in stone. There are extension options in all these contracts.
They said it would take him "well past" his old contract that ended in 2025 so I'd assume longer than 2027.
I'm fairly new to F1, is this idea of "franchise drivers" a relatively new phenomenon?
It’s definitely ALOT more prevalent in this generation where most of the top academy drivers have only ever driven for their main teams and maybe a costumer team for a few seasons as development. If Leclerc sees through his contract until the end of 2029, he’ll have spent 11 years at Ferrari which iirc is the longest a driver has stayed there (will have to double check this tho). By the end of 2028, Max will have stayed at RedBull for over a decade as well and will also be their longest tenure.
In past generations, it was just a lot more common to see drivers jump around teams.
It isn't common for F1 drivers and teams to show complete loyalty to one another. In the past drivers would jump at the chance of signing for a better team, which allowed the top teams to drop their line up whenever they saw fit. There was always someone willing to take their place.
That's not to say there are no cases where particular drivers stay at one team for a long period of time (Schumacher with Ferrari or Hamilton with Mercedes Engines). However, I don't think there has been a time where four top teams have had these kinds of long term driver-team partnerships all at once.
I think the founding of Driver Acadamies made this franchise idea more prevalent. I mean even with Lewis, while he wasnt a "driver academy" signing, he was recruited by Ron Dennis when he was young, and he was also familiar with the Merc side of the team, so moving to Merc could also be said to "remain within the family"
Any other reason you can think of, for why franchise drivers is now more common?
I believe I saw ESPN say it was a two year extension
Not certain, But I've heard it's through the first year of Regs change. So 2026
I really hate the f1 contract system.
In pretty much every other sport the length and details of the contracts are public. You at least know how long your favorite athletes are going to be on your favorite teams. I don't get why f1 keeps all that info secret, it's not like it's a competitive advantage or anything
It is most certainly a competitive advantage to use that information in order to get the best drivers on your team.
Everyone is renewing their contracts it seems.
Please Aston don’t let my boy Fernando leave
What if Danny Ric and Tsunoda don't impress, Perez continues to struggle, Lawson has been guaranteed a cash app seat? Wouldn't Alonso be a good logical choice for RB? Max would still wipe the floor with him but Alonso raises the floor exponentially that the WCC is never in doubt
a cash app seat
Its been a day and people are normalising the horrendous name!
Max would still wipe the floor with Alonso you say?
But even so you could guarantee Alonso would do everything in his power to prevent Max from winning if he wasn’t. Put a championship in front of that guy he’d probably burn the factory down before loosing out to a teammate at this stage. And he’d want a salary as large as Max’s.
You make me want to see this happening
Alonso has an equal season in the same car as Hamilton and beat Schumacher to retirement. Both are the most successful drivers of all time. If anyone can go toe to toe with Max is Alonso and definitely there wouldn't be any floor wipes
That's a very weird way of looking at the seasons vs. Hamilton and Schumacher, man. Schumacher's retirement had nothing to do with Alonso's performance, it's not like they were teammates and MSC got stomped. As for the "equal season in the same car as Hamilton", it happened in HAM's rookie season. I'm not sure that tells the story you imagine it tells.
Alonso is old mate. He's still very fast, but there's no way he competes with a hall of famer in the making, who's in the prime of his career
He gabe him a run for his money getting podiums in an Aston Martin. Definitely Max is better atm but the closest to him rn are Alonso and Hamilton without a doubt
He’s older but genetics and talent play a major role here. He’s older, but he’s also Fernando Alonso. See Lebron James for another current example.
An undisclosed length, but he'll be remaining at McLaren for a good few years yet.
The latest renewal will see Lando remain with the team beyond the 2025 season
The McLaren Formula 1 Team today announced the signing of an extended multi-year contract with Lando Norris, continuing his time in papaya and securing his services for the team long-term.
The British driver most recently committed to a new four-year agreement in February 2022 which saw him sign until the end of 2025. The latest renewal will see Lando remain with the team beyond the 2025 season, building on his strong six-year relationship with McLaren Racing.
Lando Norris, Driver, McLaren F1, said: “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.
“_The work Zak, Andrea and the whole team have put in over the last year has been incredible 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._”
Well this would suggest til 2028 … Which is interesting since I believe that’s Max’s schedule as well yeah?
Too soon for Verstappen-Norris-Alonso Le Mans '29 entry speculations? Let me do what many F1 tabloids do and just say something wild without any foundation.
😏😏😏
I'm kind of surprised he's locking himself into McLaren for so long at this point, given that he still had a couple of years left on his current contract to decide.
He's one of the top talents on the grid right now, and especially if you take out Max and Charles who are already signed on long contracts, and Lewis and Fernando who aren't likely to be staying on the grid for too many more years, he has to be one of the most in demand.
He's doing great at the moment, and the next few years are likely to be the peak of his career and skill. Of course, it's always a gamble to know what seats may open up at top teams, but he'd have to be on any shortlist for the likes of RB, Merc, and Ferrari. McLaren are getting closer to being a top tier team, but it remains to be seen if they can make that final step to being a championship contender, and keep up their pace from the latter half of last year.
It could be the best place for him to be still, a McLaren championship win doesn't seem as impossible now as it did a few years ago. But it could also be that things don't go so well in the next few years, and by the time this contract is up, he's no longer such a hot prospect. Piastri's improving rapidly, and there's always new drivers coming along, so this contract period is arguably the one where he has the best chance at fighting for a championship, and when he would be the most appealing to other teams, before someone else becomes the new hotness.
I'd love to see Lando win a championship at McLaren, but I hope it was the right decision. I guess he knows better than anyone what McLaren's prospects are.
Imagine if the grid remains unchanged from 2023 to 2026
Well this aged like milk
Thank fucking god. Want to see McLaren fighting that Red Bull for years to come. Please let the car be good this year 🤞🏻
I'm going to call him McLando from now on.
Oh McLaren must've built something nasty for Lando to re-sign before Bahrain
I had to re read that a few times, as you put "resign" instead of Re-sign
Well in his Sky sports interview which was publicised today he mentioned several times during different answers that McLaren will be fighting Red Bull this season. He also said that he’s never been as confident in McLaren’s ability to win titles than he is right now.
We know he’s honest to a fault when it comes to the car, so if he’s this optimistic and openly optimistic about their season then that’s a big deal for him.
So we shall see.
I agree with the reasoning. Lando's comments are usually pretty direct, even when they're clearly the opposite of what an interviewer is trying to stroke him with. I think he's extremely confident, which makes me excited.
Absolutely right
Lando isn't stupid. They must have shown him some pretty serious progress.
Or they show him a pretty big fat check.
He said he did it for the team to show he has the faith in them. Said that it’s demoralising for them to be working on parts for his car and seeing rumours about him leaving. So he did it for no distractions and so both he and the team can concentrate on McLaren. ‘Team leader’ actions from someone who is all about the team.
Definitely the check, but maybe both. Hopefully both
That's my thinking. Very excited.
Resign? You mean re-sign
Man's going for the record of most GPs without a win.
Meanwhile Nico just extending his lead in both categories (without a win and without a podium).
I’m pretty sure he has the record for most points scored without a win.
I also back McLaren to get a couple of wins this year. Piastri will get a win first though, because that would be too funny.
Heidfeld would have that record if you adjust the points
Macca winning would be impressive considering RB and all that. I guess it RB has reliability issues because of the lowered number of engines, this could happen.
How many genuine opportunities do you think he has had for a win?
My list is 2021 Monza, 2021 Sochi, 2023 Singapore, 2023 Qatar.
2023 Singapore is very debatable. But the others are correct. Maybe Spa 2021, he was flying in qualy before the crash.
Yeah I forget the exact specifics of Spa 2021 qualifying. Given the way the race went, a pole would have done it.
And yeah 2023 Singapore is perhaps the least likely. But I thought he was in contention for pole (finished a few tenths down) and he was on Sainz's gearbox for a good chunk of the race (even before Sainz started slowing down to give Norris DRS).
I'd say yes and no. I mean, going the way it did, he certainly wasn't going to overtake Carlos, but then George was already picturing himself on the top step so hard that he clipped the wall.
Much stranger things have happened than Lando winning that GP.
2023 Singapore isn't, pace wise he was like #5 in the line, both Ferraris and both Mercedes had better pace
2021 Sochi would have been without the rain; but having the pouring rain basically means his chance are gone no matter what, because him leading means Lewis could react to what he and McLaren does, but not vice-versa. A bit similar to what happened later in Abu Dhabi in that sense
Checo wouldn’t have gotten that record if he had kept the car in the track at Sepang in his second season. That was his Sochi moment… it would be painful to see if that happens to Norris
Thank God. I couldn’t take it if he jumped. We’re in the middle of the third redemption arc in a decade I need this one to work!
So much for the Lando to RB narrative, which was always ridiculous tbh.
I think it was the only option other than staying, but I don't think it got any further than a chat. RB have their plans
Unless this is to 2028 and he's just planning to be the Max replacement rather than the second driver to Max
I mean, I don't think it was necessarily ridiculous. Lando is one of the top drivers in F1, so him moving to the top team would only make sense.
It just comes down to Lando's comfort with being compared directly to Verstappen.
Love to see it
"announced the signing of an extended multi-year contract"
"confirmed until at least the end of 2026."
This means it's an extension of his CURRENT contract. I would expect this to be a one-year extension so Lando will get to drive the 26 car. If it sucks, he's gone. If not, he'll re-up in '26. So most likely the contract has a performance-based clause and an option for 2-3 more years.
Better get it right McLaren!
They’ve already said it’s a multi-year extension not one year. It probably does have performance clauses though, same as Leclerc’s is rumoured to.
"confirmed until at least the end of 2026."
This is in reference to Oscar and Lando as a pairing as Oscar's contract is until the end of 2026. When referencing Lando's contract specifically, they say multi-year.
Guys what if Maclaren isn't shit in the next decade?
I know I'm high on hopium and dreams right now but you never know.
I'm almost at the point where I physically need McLaren to the top and/or get a title. It's been so long now...
Honestly at this point I think I'd just settle for competing.
Jurgen Klopp walked so that Lando could run.
Great, now give him a car that can land on P1!
Well at the very least it quashes all those "Lando to manage Liverpool FC" rumours.
Lando might be the best first name in sports.
If Lando extended there will definitely be break clauses in the instance McLaren build a tractor thst isn't anywhere near the front.
After the Liverpool announcement today, I needed some good news. So glad to see Lando's here to stay
I’m relatively new to the sport, 22 season is when I first started watching and I find it unique that theres not a lot of driver movement. As a basketball fan, I enjoy guys staying with their respective team for extended period of time rather than moving every couple years
Hopefully this means the RBR second seat truthers will finally shut the hell up :)
Lando rejected Red Bull so many times. After so many times, it's just not gonna happen!
RIP Lando to Red Bull, another Reddit patented "It'll happen, guaranteed rumour"
Good for him, McLaren seems like a great place to be right now and they build the whole team around him.
Selfishly I hope we don't keep getting these long contract renewals all year. I want my crazy silly season!
This and the Charles news does soothe my cold dead heart this dark day 😭😭
I was going to ask but then I clocked your username…sorry for your loss.
Cheers mate... I'm so so bummed 😔😔
Glad something has brought you some happiness!
Thanks... But it'll take a while tbh
Guesses as to what his annual compensation is? North of $25 million?
25 is minimum probably
No wonder they have signed him for a long term contract as other top teams would surely be keeping an eye on him to have him in their team.
I don't know why so many F1 fans lust after driver changes so hard. If drivers are happy, settled, have a half decent car and don't have a direct route to the best team then what are expecting? Stability is good for McClaren and that's good for keeping the Championship vaguely competitive (RB aside). If you want frequent drama then go stick on the Kardashians or some other innane drivel.
Jürgen Klopp to Alpine confirmed!
Leclerc vs Norris, their battles will be legendary ... for 2nd place.
Hoping season 2024 will be a close competitive, still expect Max to do a Thanos it too first.
Smart move for both parties. If Red Bull or Ferrari want him, they'll just buy him out, McLaren is the real winner.
Lando is said to be excited to have front row views of teammates winning races in front of him!
I mean, is anybody actually surprised? Lando has stuck by McLaren all these years even through the mediocre seasons, of course he's going to stay now that the car is actually looking like one of the best in the grid.
Norris satisfied with mediocrity smh. Unless they take a step, this shows to me Norris doesn’t want the pressure perhaps the exposure of being in a top flight team competing against top flight drivers
Why not keep options open? I thought he would be pursuing the second Red Bull seat.
I thought he would be pursuing the second Red Bull seat.
Why did you think that? Horner himself said that he talked to Lando about joining but "but every time we’ve had a conversation, he’s signed a contract with McLaren the next day"
Doesn't look like he was pursuing Red Bull's second seat
Only fans have wanted that. Lando has been pretty consistent in saying he's all in with McLaren.
I don’t understand why people think he would pursue the second RB seat. Why leave the team where you’re #1 and could build a competitive car for you in the future just to be #2 at RB just because they’re winning at the moment? That’s not a smart career move.
Yeah he's in a strong position and even has branding deals with Quadrant. He has a lot more freedom and chemistry with McLaren than trying to fit in at Red Bull
what guy who dreams of championships wants to be number 2 anywhere?
He needs to beat Max to become champion anyway, if he can't do it in the same car, he's not really beating him is he?
By that argument the only champion in recent times is Nico Rosberg
I'd say Lando would be Max's strongest team mate, and I'd love to watch him take it to him.
Why not keep options open?
Because he knows more than you (we) do.
All these sorts of comments come from the simple fact that nobody thinks it's possible for McLaren to be a championship contender due to recency bias. Soon people will remember the quality of McLaren 🙂
Ask yourself, “I’m a star in my own right, I have a good brand and I’m the #1 driver of a storied team. Do I want to sacrifice that to stand in Max Verstappen’s shadow?”
That 2nd seat has gone so well for Ricciardo, Gasly, Albon, Perez...
If Lando wanted, that seat was his. Even Horner admits it.
Ricciardo and Max were fairly evenly matched though. Sure Max was in the early stages of his career, but still.
Not much point for multiple reasons: -As long as Verstappen is in RB, he'd have to fight 100% of the time, no team orders, no help, no way would he give up the chance at a title for his teammate so it's already worse off for him since he now has a teammate that's younger, not as aggressive and not as clear of a talent yet as others. -He would have to believe, with far less data and inside knowledge, that RB will be superior to Mclaren years down the line. He has Mclaren's current data and knowledge so he can be confident in their future -RB have Lawson coming up so he'd have to fight not only Verstappen but within a few years a new rookie for the seat too, clearly Mclaren wants him bad so he'd go from a team that values him 100% to a team that has the options and history to throw him out for a younger talent. He's safe at Mclaren for far more years even if he doesn't get a title.
you think he's more desperate of wins rather than of titles?
Keeping his options open leaves a gap for someone to swoop in and take his seat.
I would assume that there are clauses that allow him to exit if the team isn't living up to their end in some way
Ayy that’s awesome. Let’s go Lando/Mclaren partnership
Lando is on track to be longest-serving McLaren driver in history.
2024 will be his 6th season, meaning he'll be joint 4th longest serving driver along side Senna (not counting Monaco 2016)
Senna did 6 seasons at McLaren, Button both did 7 (not including Monaco 2017), Hakkinen did 8 (not including 3 races in 1993) and Coulthard both did 9
Also to put it in a slightly different context, Lando currently has 104 races for McLaren. Prost had 107 and Lewis 110 so he’ll surpass both this season. Mika had 131 and Button 136 so he’ll surpass both in 2025. That just leaves Coulthard on 150 so he’ll surpass him in 2026. When he surpasses Coulthard he’ll be in the top 5 of drivers with most races for one team.
Only drivers ahead of him then are: *Lewis at 222+counting for Merc, *Schumacher at 180 for Ferrari, *Max at 162+counting for RB, *Kimi at 151 for Ferrari.
Incidentally Charles is also at 102 for Ferrari so will be rising up the list in tandem with Lando. By the end of 2026 the longest serving drivers in terms of races for one team will be Lewis, Max, Schumacher, Lando and Charles.
While equally impressive, I'm not a fan of comparing race numbers of drivers from yester-years as there were fewer races per season.
What's with teams and their favored drivers getting "multi-year" contracts and not revealing how long it actually is?
I swear this is like the third contract extension Lando has had in the last year or two. I know in a competitive driver market they want to keep him nailed down, but this seems excessive.
Once his goatee comes in his contract will be up
Lando please shave
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