Lando Norris cannot leave McLaren before his contract expires

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has said that Lando Norris does not have an exit clause from his contract.

Norris has been with McLaren for a while. He joined as a test and reserve driver at the age of 17 in 2018 after impressing during his first F1 test at the Hungaroring in August 2017.

After competing in Formula 2 in 2018, where he finished behind champion George Russell and just ahead of Alexander Albon, he was promoted to F1 by the Woking-based outfit. With no expectations on his rookie shoulders, he forged an impressive partnership with Carlos Sainz, helping the team finish fourth in the constructors’ title, with more than double the points haul from the previous campaign.

Since then, he has raced 85 times for McLaren and finished on the podium six times. He signed a contract extension in February 2022, which sees him tied to the team till the end of the 2025 campaign.

However, considering McLaren's woes on the track, his future remains a major talking point. Norris has been linked with a move to both Ferrari and Mercedes, among other teams. McLaren boss Brown, though, isn't worried about losing the young Briton anytime soon, as he doesn't have an exit clause in his contract. Speaking to SkySports F1, he said:

"He has zero exit clauses. Ultimately, when his contract is next up, if we are not performing, and he doesn't feel he can win races and can compete for the championship, then I think anybody, driver or team member for that matter (would be considering leaving), we are all here to win.

He added:

"He has got a contract with us and, most importantly, he is very happy here and he sees the progress that we are making, and he is a team player. So, even contracts aside, it is about that he is in a happy environment; he is along for the journey, and we have got some time to prove to him that we are going to give him a car capable of winning.

Nevertheless, Brown said that he would understand Norris' desire to look for newer pastures when his McLaren contract comes to an end and the team fail to improve their performances:

"Right now, it is pretty easy, but if we are sitting here in two years' time and his contract is nearing the end, then it is a different situation if we are not performing and I would understand him going 'I need to get into a winning race car'. But right now, I think we are all focused on working together to get that car, so I think it is too early to be worried about anything other than having a good weekend."

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Lando Norris is at ‘same level’ as Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, says Mika Hakkinen

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, who won the drivers' championship in 1998 and 1999, reckons Lando Norris is just as good as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, or even two-time reigning champion Max Verstappen. The Flying Finn said:

"He is a very fast but still young driver. He has already achieved a lot and consistently shows convincing results. He is incredibly talented, that is for sure. He is on the same level as Charles Leclerc , Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz . He can accelerate well."