Lando Norris signs multi-year contract extension with McLaren

McLaren has announced that Lando Norris will remain with the team for the foreseeable future after signing a multi-year contract extension.

The 21-year-old has been a part of the McLaren team since 2017 and has risen through the ranks as one of the team’s top junior prospects, winning multiple junior titles along the way.

He finished runner-up to George Russell in the 2018 F2 season before being called up to the main team to partner with Carlos Sainz for the 2019 F1 season.

After an impressive rookie season, Norris finished ninth in the 2020 driver’s championship in a year that included a maiden podium. He has also been out-scoring new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo so far in 2021, taking a second career podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“I’m really pleased to have extended my relationship with McLaren from 2022,” Norris said of the contract extension.

“Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else. McLaren has been a huge support since my days in junior series and I’ve really enjoyed learning and developing as a driver since.

“My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future.

“I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they’ve shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”

Norris is currently P4 in the 2021 driver’s standings, just six points behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. His three top-five finishes so far this year have been a crucial part of the battle against Ferrari as the two legendary teams look set to battle throughout the season for best of the rest behind Mercedes and Red Bull.

Despite the arrival of grand prix winner Ricciardo, Norris has led the way for McLaren, outscoring the Australian in all but one race so far.

“I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown said.

“He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017. Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.”