Formula one star Lando Norris says he has “no regrets” signing a long-term contract extension with McLaren before Lewis Hamilton’s exit from Mercedes was confirmed.
McLaren announced in January that Norris, 24, had signed a multi-year extension to his previous deal, which had been set to expire in 2025.
Less than a week later, Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton would be joining from Mercedes in 2025, shaking up the driver market and leaving a highly desirable Silver Arrows seat available for next season.
So no, no regrets from any side. I’m confident in my team, I’m confident in what we’ve been able to achieve and what we can achieve going into the future and I’m very happy with where I am.”
Norris, who has spent the entirety of his F1 career with McLaren since entering the sport in 2019, had been heavily linked with a move away from the Woking-based team after their poor start to 2023.
However, a remarkable mid-season turnaround which saw Norris take seven podiums from July onwards, clearly restored the Brit’s faith in the team.
“Of course, I could be happier if we’re achieving more of the goals that I think we all want to achieve,” he added. “But the main point is that I’m enjoying my time with the guys that I’m with
Despite his certainty that he has made the right decision to commit to McLaren, Norris admitted that the team’s pre-season testing programme in Bahrain had not gone completely to plan.
McLaren completed the second least laps of the 10 teams as a series of technical issues hampered their progress.
