‘Norris will be scouting around hard’ - Brundle’s warning for McLaren

Norris’ future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months following McLaren’s terrible start to the 2023 season. 

The 23-year-old Briton is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2025 after signing a new long-term deal last year, but that hasn’t stopped him from been linked with F1’s biggest teams. 

After an improved showing at the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris stressed he has “even more faith” in McLaren to get back to the front following a major technical restructure. 

But McLaren slipped back in Miami, with Norris qualifying a lowly 16th and going on to equal his worst classified race finish in 17th.

McLaren’s torrid weekend, and Norris’ future, was a topic of debate on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. 

“Lando is incredible, he’s like ‘this is my team, I’m here for a good number of years now and I support them’, but in the end his chin is going to drop if they’re midfielders at best,” Brundle said. 

"Lando will be looking around. He’s got to be looking around but he's nailed on with the contract and the contract recognition board.

"So he has got a while there and he's got time, he's a young man. But McLaren will have to deliver up for the next 18 months or he'll be scouting around hard.”

Amid McLaren’s worst start to a season in decades, Brundle said CEO Zak Brown and everyone at Woking will be feeling the pressure. 

"I think what’s unquestionable is Zak’s genius on the financial side, on the sponsorship and marketing side,” he added. 

"They are restructuring now with Andrea Stella and some other people coming into the team. 

"They’ve got a new wind tunnel coming and they are hanging an awful lot on that feeding into the team very quickly in the next year or two. 

“McLaren in general, and Zak in particular, will be feeling the pressure. Andrea Seidl has gone off to Alfa Romeo, but that’s not exactly flowing along brilliantly there at the moment, is it? 

“It’s a difficult business and we’ll we see what these changes do for them.”