Three Teams are Interested in Norris

Three Formula One teams have made an approach for Lando Norris, the rising star at McLaren. But they would all have necessitated the Championship leader of the Formula 2 cut his ties with Woking.

McLaren's Not Training Norris for Anyone Else

It came to light just before the Canadian Grand Prix that Red Bull's Toro Rosso enquired after Norris, but their approach was confined to Norris being a free agent if he joined them. Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer for McLaren Racing, is very clear that his team will not be letting the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award-winning driver go after they've seen him through the junior ranks the way they have.

Brown confirmed that they had been approached by three different teams, with some including this year, but stated that McLaren wanted to keep Norris' focus on the F2, and keep him with them.

He went on to say that the situation would change if something good for his career - and probably his bank balance - came along, but all offers would be considered on a case-by-case basis. He then explained that all the bids would have seen Norris leaving, and that McLaren was not having that conversation, full stop. He stated that they hadn't trained him for someone else to take advantage of, and said that he was also sure that no one else would be interested in getting him ready for McLaren!

Vandoorne Faced the Same Issue

Norris' problem is similar to the one Stoffel Vandoorne, a current driver for Mclaren, has faced. As punters who enjoy the motorsports markets Australian sports betting allows for will remember, Vandoorne won the GP2, but he was unable to make any progress into a seat at McLaren because Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso still had spots. So he ended up spending a year in the Super Formula series in Japan.

What Can McLaren Do With Young Drivers?

McLaren doesn't have a good option for placing young drivers before one of the seats in its team becomes available, because the potential Formula One teams have close ties to Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull that frequently involve running junior drivers under contract.

Brown acknowledged that McLaren's lack of sister teams was far from ideal. He said that it proved that the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA, needs to have a look at the impact that certain teams have over other ones. He said that what was happening was that people who were independent were losing serious opportunities because of FIA's current position.

Toro Rosso Won't Divulge the Details

When Brendon Hartley suffered a difficult start to his first full Formula One season, Toro Rosso's interest in Norris was piqued because Red Bull lacked any kind of realistic replacement in its own pool of junior drivers.

Helmut Marko, Head of the Red Bull Driver Development Programme and current Advisor to the Red Bull GmbH Formula One Teams, confirmed only that contact had been made regarding Norris. He said that discussions had been had, but that their negotiations would remain behind closed doors.