Lando Norris reveals other ‘opportunities’ before committing his F1 future to McLaren

Lando Norris has admitted he had other “opportunities” before signing a new Formula 1 contract with McLaren. 

Reigning world champion Norris recently extended his McLaren contract with a bumper new deal that will keep him at the Woking-based outfit through to the end of the 2030 season. 

But Norris, who won his maiden world title with McLaren last season, has revealed he had interest from rival teams. 

“There was opportunity of course. But opportunity that is positive. There's opportunities to gamble at times," Norris told Martin Brundle in an interview with Sky Sports F1 that is set to be shown over the Italian Grand Prix weekend. 

"I'm a driver that personally I would take one or two tougher years over instant success - as I did a few years ago with McLaren. As much as I want to win every single year, not everything is about I need to be with a team tomorrow that's going to win the next race and do this and do that.”

Norris was nurtured through McLaren’s driver development programme from 2017 and made his F1 race debut with the team in 2019. By the end of 2030, the 26-year-old Briton will have stayed with McLaren for more than a decade. 

"A good amount of it is also am I just happy?” Norris added. “I was happy to be with McLaren even when we weren't winning because I'm still in an amazing opportunity and I still get to do the job I love and travel and do all these things. 

"So not everything to me is about ultimate performance. A lot of it and a big part of it is the people that I'm with. Just the fact I feel I'm at home and I'm enjoying it. And that almost has enough control as saying 'I need to be with a team that is going to be performing and winning championships’."

Asked if he would ever consider joining Ferrari in the future, Norris replied: “That’s not something I want to think about for now. Since I was a kid, you always think of yourself in different positions.

"My dream was always to be with McLaren. That's why I feel like I'm in a very fortunate position as I am. But you always want to experience the other side of things, whether that is Ferrari or other teams and Mercedes.

"It's just human. I think that you want to experience what it's like to be in this position and that position.

"Also, the history of other teams. The fact Lewis also went to Mercedes from McLaren and then to Ferrari, I think it's also pretty cool that you try different things and you experience different stuff.

”It depends a little bit on what you want to achieve in your career. Do you want ultimate success every single year? Do you want to just experience what it's like to go to a different team and experience Ferrari or Mercedes?

"For now, I'll say I'm not thinking of it. But ask me again at the end of 2030."