McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl’s move to Sauber for 2023 might have come as a shock to Lando Norris, with the Brit having been close to the German since he joined Formula 1 in 2019.
Seidl has returned to Sauber to become their new CEO, following the departure of Frederic Vasseur who is replacing Mattia Binotto as team principal at Ferrari.
Losing Seidl has been judged as a huge blow to the Woking-based side by many, with the German having led the British side back towards the top.
Whilst 2022 was a struggle for McLaren, with Seidl in charge there was a real sense of confidence that they could bounce back and claim more than one podium in 2023, something that Andrea Stella will now be leading the team towards.
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With Seidl having departed, Norris has been asked if he will ever leave McLaren to race elsewhere, with the 23-year-old having admitted that he may move one day to “go for championships”.
His current contract expires at the end of 2025.
“It depends,” Norris said, per The Race.
“If we get to a point where we’re competitive and we’re winning races and so on, then I see absolutely no reason why not.
“And at the moment there’s nothing more I would love than to stay here, stay with McLaren, and keep progressing and keep improving to try and achieve that. I’m happy to spend some years doing so.
“But yeah, at the same time I do want to win races, and go for championships and stuff.”
Norris’ only podium this year came at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the Brit having been the only midfield driver to claim a podium in the entire season.
He came close to victory twice in 2021, most notably at the Russian Grand Prix, before he was caught out by a sudden downpour.
The Quadrant founder is keen to win races and titles but is prepared to “stick around” with McLaren for a bit longer yet, as winning either with them would be “more special”.
“That’s my goal [to win titles], that’s what I want to achieve by the time I finish in Formula 1,” said the Brit.
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“It’s not something I’m saying, ‘Next year or a couple of years after, we are going to be winning that’. I’m just hoping we’ll be even closer than where we are now. I’m happy. It’s not like I’m saying to the guys, ‘We need this next year and if it’s not, I’m leaving’.
“I’m happy to stick around for those for these few years and keep plugging away, keep working hard towards it, because I think that will make it even sweeter, it will be a better story. It’ll just make it even more special.
“It’s not saying that I want that in the next few years, but it’s just more of an end goal.”