Lando Norris has denied that he would be “scared” of partnering Max Verstappen at Red Bull in Formula 1 after electing to sign a long-term contract with McLaren.
McLaren announced on Friday that Norris had penned a multi-year extension, committing him to the Woking squad beyond the upcoming regulation overhaul in 2026.
That has ruled Norris out of the running for a potential vacant seat at Red Bull, despite advisor Helmut Marko revealing he was an option to replace Sergio Perez for 2025.
The Briton has been an ongoing target for Red Bull, with Norris admitting previously that talks had taken place with the reigning champions regarding a potential switch.
However, amid the struggles Verstappen’s team-mates have fared over recent seasons, Norris has highlighted how it wouldn’t have been a “smart move” to depart McLaren.
When asked by Sky Sports if he was afraid to go up against the Dutchman in equal machinery, Norris answered: “I think it’s a longer discussion than just saying that.
“Is Max one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1? Absolutely. I think he’s proved that enough.
“He’s in a team which he’s very comfortable in, a lot of things are built around him, so for anyone – even the Max of a few years ago – to go in against the Max of now is extremely difficult.
“So I don’t think it’s a question of: are you scared or not scared? I don’t think I’d ever be scared of going up against anyone.
“But even if you enter a team, are you in a position to challenge someone straight away? And are you comfortable to do that?
“And I think it’s a ‘no’ – for any driver. It takes time to adapt and takes time to get into place.
“And if you want to go against the best driver in the world, it’s not the best thing to do. It’s not a smart move to do.
“But I would love to race against Max. I’ve enjoyed some of our battles that we’ve had and I’m looking even more forward to the battles that we’re going to have this year.”
Red Bull’s crushing dominance since F1’s return to ground effect cars in 2022 has seen Verstappen win 34 of the past 44 races to become a three-time F1 World Champion.
Pressed on whether he believes he can replicate Verstappen’s recent success at McLaren, Norris responded: “That’s the plan.”
McLaren commenced last season battling to score with an underdeveloped car, but a string of mid-season upgrades elevated the side into consistent front-running contention.
Norris, who amassed seven podiums to clinch seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, asserts that McLaren’s remarkable progress inspired him to reject rival team’s advances.
“There’s always discussions every now and then,” he outlined. “I’m not going to lie and say no, there’s always little discussions and you talk to people and see ‘what could you offer’ kind of thing, but it never went further than that.
“Considering we are talking about the most competitive and successful car in the history of Formula 1 over a season – and I think you have to include the driver in that too – how close we got at certain places with where we started the season I think was pretty impressive.
“To go from out of the points pretty much every single race to being probably the closest team on average to the most successful car that’s ever been in Formula 1, I think showed me enough – and showed everyone here at McLaren enough – that we have what it takes to challenge them.
“Therefore I want to create my own chapter and my own story of being with McLaren and turning the team around and being part of that journey.
“So of course there’s always interest and in the back of my mind it’s always like, ‘What would happen if I went here and what could I achieve,’ and so forth.
“But I’m happy with where I am, I’m comfortable and I think in order to achieve a World Championship you need to be happy and comfortable with where you’re at.
“I don’t think you are able to achieve that by suddenly switching to another team and finding that within a year. So that’s why I think it’s best.”
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