Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the team had drawn up a contract to sign Lando Norris prior to his Formula 1 debut when McLaren blocked the deal.
Norris’ commitment to McLaren has been rewarded over the past 12 months as the team has developed into a place where it’s now challenging to win titles this term.
However, the Briton’s career route could have seen him abandon ship in an alternative universe as Red Bull has been candid about its attempts to acquire his services.
Red Bull’s initial approach came when Norris was competing in Formula 2 in 2018 as it angled to have him slot in at its second-string side, then known as Toro Rosso.
According to Marko, Red Bull had even reached the stage where a contract had been assembled, but a clause within Norris’ McLaren deal meant that he remained put.
“We had serious discussions and we had a contract ready for Lando Norris,” Marko told the Inside Line F1 podcast. “For AlphaTauri or Toro Rosso at that time.
“And unfortunately they [McLaren] found out. They had two contracts and then one was a clause which stopped this cooperation with Lando Norris.”
Red Bull has garnered a reputation for promoting budding talent as both Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have climbed up the ranks to end up as F1 champions.
However, Red Bull’s formative period saw it adopt an approach where it chased established names like David Coulthard and Mark Webber to aid its ascent up the grid.
But Red Bull’s aim to attract two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso did not work, which proved to be the Spaniard’s loss as Red Bull started winning the next season.
“Before we started winning, I don’t know exactly which year, I think it might have been 2008 or so, we had been talking to [Fernando] Alonso,” Marko added.
“But he didn’t take us seriously, I guess, and so that didn’t happen.
“But the rest, as I said, we are proud about our two World Champions [Vettel and Verstappen].”
Alonso lost out in two title deciders in 2010 and 2012 to Red Bull’s Vettel whilst at Ferrari and the current Aston Martin driver is yet to log an elusive third championship.
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