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Lando Norris may end up regretting his decision to sign a long-term deal with McLaren, according to former F1 driver-turned-television presenter Jenson Button.
Lando Norris currently has one of the longest contracts of any driver on the F1 grid. Button, a former McLaren driver himself, feels this may end up holding him back, especially after the Woking-based team's difficult start to 2022.
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During an interview with Sky Sports, Button weighed in on the subject by saying:
“I was surprised that Lando [Norris] signed such a long contract, because now is when he is starting to gain experience and speed. All of us as drivers want consistency and regularity, but you never know what will happen in two or three years’ time. I don’t know of a single driver on this grid who has signed a deal for more than two years. So that’s a clear indication, I don’t understand why [Norris] made the decision to sign such a long new contract, because now other teams might want you and you won’t be able to do anything about it.”
Button, who won the 2009 F1 World Championship with Brawn GP, went on to add, saying:
“This [McLaren] is a great team. They’ve won multiple championships, they have a lot of new people in place that are also very skilled. It’s about that team building, that team staying together and developing the car as well as they can.”
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are two other high-profile young drivers with relatively longer deals in F1. Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull through until 2028 while Leclerc's deal with Ferrari will keep him in the Scuderia stables until at least 2024.
Lando Norris predicts pain for McLaren in 2022 F1 season
Lando Norris has predicted that the 2022 F1 season will be one where McLaren get used to the pain after their dismal start to the campaign.
Speaking to the media before the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia, the 22-year-old said:
“I’m expecting pain and I think everyone needs to know there’s going to be a bit of pain. It’s just where we are, quite simply. We just have to get a little bit used to it now.”
The Briton went on to add, saying:
“We’re a long, long way off. Not just a little bit. So, we’ve got to start afresh and figure some things out, find solutions. But it doesn’t mean next week we’re gonna be amazing, but in the months to come we need to understand what’s going on and how to get better.”
Norris and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo will now shift their focus to the first Australian GP of the decade with F1 action set to return to the revamped Abert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
