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Lando Norris finds himself in a very awkward place at McLaren. He's committed himself to the team in a long-term contract with hopes of one day bringing the team to glory.
However, 2022 and 2023 have shown that the future does not look as bright for McLaren as many would have thought when the team secured a '1-2' finish.
Since finishing P3 in the championship in 2020, McLaren has seen one team after another make a leap towards the front while it has stayed in the same position or regressed. The 2021 F1 season saw Ferrari leapfrog McLaren, 2022 saw Alpine do it, and 2023 has already seen Aston Martin make a leap towards the front.
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During all of this, McLaren has taken a step back in 2022 and 2023. Lando Norris is on a long-term contract with McLaren. However, in F1, contracts tend to have exit clauses. Assuming there is one, Lando Norris will be looking to find his way out of McLaren to a team that could potentially take him closer to the frontrunners.
Now, this might not ideally happen at the end of this season as a lot of things depend on the F1 driver market. However, Norris could be plotting an exit from McLaren and keeping an eye on a future home. In this piece, we will take a look at what this home could be for the young driver as he starts to lose faith in the Woking-based squad.
Note: The aim is not to find Lando Norris a new home for 2024 because that could be very tough to determine. The aim is to zero in on a new home when he can find his way out of the McLaren contract
#1 Alfa Romeo/Audi
With Andreas Seidl finding a home at Sauber and laying down the groundwork for Audi's entry into the sport, there is a vacancy for a top driver in the team. The Swiss team has employed the services of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou. But it's safe to say that neither of the two drivers comes close to the star power as well as performance levels of Lando Norris.
In contrast to the stop-start progress of McLaren, Audi does appear to be an attractive proposition where Norris could build the team from the ground up. He would also have a familiar face in Andreas Seidl leading the team as well.
If Norris can wiggle his way out of a contract at McLaren, Audi could be a very attractive proposition, especially if the other top teams are not available.
#2 Mercedes
The possibility of Norris joining Mercedes in the near future has kept on increasing with every passing day this season. One of the major reasons behind this has been the reticent nature of Lewis Hamilton when it comes to signing an extension with the team. The conversation of a contract extension that started in 2022 has been dragged into the 2023 mid-season.
To add to this, the Mercedes boss has been transparent enough in admitting that the car won't be a frontrunner any time soon. While these comments reflect a certain level of honesty and bluntness, they are also a red flag for a driver who is close to 40 years of age.
All is not well between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton and if there is a chance, Lando Norris will be eager to swoop in and take over from the F1 legend. It's still a long shot but with every passing day of the 2023 F1 season, it's becoming more and more likely.
#3 Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso is exceptional, to say the least. What he's doing at Aston Martin this season is nothing short of exceptional. Having said that, one of the more common sayings in F1 is that 'father time is undefeated'.
Every prime athlete will get old and every athlete will see a decline in his performance. Alonso is on a two-year contract with Aston Martin and the team has to keep in mind that one day or the other, age is going to catch up with the Spaniard.
If it does, or if there is even a hint of that happening, a young driver like Lando Norris who has already proved himself is a fantastic option. To add to this, in terms of charisma and presence, while Lando Norris might not match Alonso (nobody could), it's fair to say that in terms of driving, he can hold his own.
Aston Martin is a team aspiring to be a frontrunner and a title challenger. A driver like Lando Norris could work perfectly and will attract the British audience as well.
