Lando Norris says talks with rival teams did not reach a serious stage before he decided to commit to McLaren for the long term.
McLaren announced yesterday it had agreed a new multi-year deal with Norris, who was already signed to the team until the end of next year.
Although Norris is yet to win a grand prix since making his debut for the team in 2019, he said he is “convinced” they are on course to compete for world championships.
“As a team, we have everything we need in order to achieve that goal,” said Norris. “As far as the team’s goal and also just the personal goal that I’ve always had.”
Following an off-season change of leadership which saw Andrea Stella installed as team principal, McLaren made a poor start to 2023. But they rebounded spectacularly, producing a series of updates to their car which transformed it into the strongest threat to dominant champions Red Bull at several rounds.
However Norris said that was only part of the reason why he decided to extend his stay at the team. “I don’t think it’s just last year and how we turned things around,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the only thing that I would say has convinced me more.
“It’s just everything that goes on day-to-day, the people that are here, the work ethic, the mentality, the approach to everything.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Rumours abounded last year that Norris was seeking a move to Red Bull, potentially in place of the underperforming Sergio Perez. However he denied having any serious talks with rival teams.
“You know what other teams are doing and how they’re looking and how they’re feeling and what their potentials are at the same time with what drivers they’ve got, what people they’ve got, and so on,” he said. “And really nothing from any other side was convincing enough to everyone to make me even have a proper look at another team.
“The atmosphere, the mentality, the camaraderie I think we have here has built up a lot over the years. And I also just very much enjoyed being part of all of that.”
McLaren backed Norris in the latter stages of his junior career before bringing him into F1. He said he wants to “be part of this story of turning things around and going from the beginning of my career and struggling and going through those ups and downs and sticking with the team.”
However he…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…