Lando Norris advised to leave McLaren for Audi by F1 pundit with Oscar Piastri growing in prominence

F1 pundit Peter Windsor has advised Lando Norris to leave McLaren for Audi in 2026. Norris is currently on a long-term contract with the team and has been pivotal in the success that Mclaren have achieved since 2020. The Briton has secured multiple podiums and the team's sole pole position in the last decade.

There is however a potential of tension starting to emerge within McLaren due to the rise of Oscar Piastri within the team. The Aussie is poised to be one of the lead contenders in F1 in the future and has already started matching Lando Norris in qualifying pace. Keeping all of this in mind, there is the possibility of friction developing between the two young and hungry drivers that could spill over.

Peter Windsor has advised Lando Norris to consider the option of joining Audi when the German outfit enter the grid in 2026. In a live stream on his YouTube channel, Windsor said:

“I’d love to see Lando in an Audi in 2026 with Théo Pourchaire in the other car, and I’d like to see Liam Lawson in a Red Bull sooner rather than later. Lando, I can imagine wanting to leave McLaren the way it is with Oscar. I can imagine Lando isn’t going to want to stay at McLaren forever, although Zak [Brown] has put a lot into Lando. Is he going to want him to leave?"

He added:

“But to me, if Audi were on the phone, and I was Lando Norris now and Audi said to me or Andreas Seidl said to me: ‘Number one driver, ’26 onwards, Audi factory team, may not be brilliant [in] ’26, but we know what we’re doing. We’ve done a massive amount of electrification in not only World Endurance, but also rallies, and we’ve got serious people, and this is Audi.’ Could you say no to that?"

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are on long-term contracts with McLaren

Lando Norris' contract with Mclaren comes to an end in 2025, while Oscar Piastri has a deal with the team until the end of the 2026 F1 season. An interesting dynamic could develop at the team between Norris and Piastri, and we could see it playing out this season.

Both drivers have performed at an excellent level this season. As McLaren continues to grow and develop, we're looking at a scenario where the team could fight for race wins. In that case, the partnership of two top, evenly matched, young drivers might not be the best for the team. It's hard to rule out a move for Lando Norris from the team, but we'll have to wait a couple of years to see how it all pans out.