1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill believes Lando Norris would be a great replacement for Sergio Perez, whose contract is set to expire at the end of 2024.
The second Red Bull seat has been a heavily discussed topic as of late, largely due to Perez’s recent poor form.
Whilst he excellently recovered to third last weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, he failed to progress to Q3 for the fourth consecutive event.
As a result, many have begun to question whether he’ll be offered a new deal by Red Bull for 2025, or if the Austrians will decide to end their relationship with the Mexican.
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Should they choose to go their separate ways, then current development driver and eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo is an obvious option; however, Hill has questioned if the Australian is “fit enough” to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport once again.
Should Ricciardo not be in the right physical condition to make a comeback, then Hill thinks Norris is a prime candidate for Red Bull.
The McLaren driver won’t be able to switch to Red Bull until 2026, with his current deal not set to expire until the end of 2025.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has also stressed that the British driver doesn’t have any exit clauses, meaning a move elsewhere before 2025 is off the cards.
Red Bull have spoken to Norris previously about switching to Milton Keynes; however, nothing has ever come from the talks.
Nevertheless, Hill is convinced that Norris is a “fresh face” that would work well with Red Bull.
“Is Daniel Ricciardo fit enough to come back?” Hill questioned, as reported by The Independent.
“That’s what the noises are. Maybe that plan is simmering away. I think they’d want a fresh face. Possibly Lando [Norris]. He’s still got a few more years left at McLaren – I was surprised when he signed such a long-term deal [until end of 2025].
“It’s a long time, I’d have done three years tops. If you’re that confident in yourself, you need to be able to move when the time is right.”
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Karun Chandhok also thinks a move to Red Bull could be on the cards for Norris in the future, although the ex-F1 driver thinks Brown has done an “amazing job” making the young driver sign such a long-term contract.
“I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull though, is young Lando Norris,” Chandhok told the Sky Sports F1 podcast a few months ago.
“Looking at where they’re [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him in for that four-year period. I do wonder, and if they’re smart they would have created some sort of exit clauses.”