McLaren has released a statement this Wednesday, February 9, announcing the extension of its deal with Lando Norris until the conclusion of the 2025 Formula 1 season. In the announcement, the team from Woking has confirmed that their new contractual arrangement will span four years starting on the current campaign.

The 22-year-old driver had already agreed to remain in McLaren beyond 2022 on the eve of the 2021 Monaco GP. After another fruitful year together, however, both parties have decided to lock in their partnership for the aforementioned period of time.

Such a prolonged extension is unusual in a discipline where contracts do not tend to extend beyond one or two seasons. There is no doubt that McLaren wanted to tie down one of the most talented youths on the grid and that they consider the Briton to be a very safe bet both in the short and medium terms. Norris, for his part, has secured a future within the team that first welcomed him when he was just 17 years of age in 2017.

Five years on and Norris just completed his best season yet in 2021, when he took four podiums and his first pole. He also came exceptionally close to getting a first F1 victory at the Russian GP. The sudden and unexpected rain and his own decision to stay on the track with his dry tires, however, prevented him from conquering the gold.

Thanks to his outstanding performance, and despite his disappointment for missing the win in Sochi, he finished sixth in the Drivers’ World Championship with 160 points. Also, for the length of the 2021 campaign, he was notably more competitive than his veteran teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who finished four places and 45 points worse off.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 driver commented:

“Teams are about people, and I love the people and feel at home at McLaren. I have grown up in this team and I’m part of this journey we’re all on. Last season was another great step, both in my career and the team’s performance, and I see and feel all the work, investment, and commitment for the team to be in a position to challenge for wins and titles in the future. This all gives me huge confidence looking forward, so it was a natural decision to extend our relationship for the next few years.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1, said:

“The opportunity to extend our relationship with Lando reflects not only our commitment but our belief and confidence in his talent. It is also a strong sign of trust and commitment from Lando in us as a team and our journey to world championship contention. Lando has shown impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver over the past four years and has been an instrumental part of the team’s momentum and performance trajectory. We are still on our journey to fight at the front and Lando is a key element of our plan, so to lock him into place, alongside Daniel and our senior leadership, gives us stability and continuity as we build towards our ultimate shared goal of world championships.”

Images of Lando Norris: McLaren F1.