Norris looked around before committing to McLaren

LONDON : Lando Norris admitted he had sounded out other Formula One teams, including champions Red Bull, before committing to McLaren on Friday for the next few years.

The 24-year-old British driver is a hot property after seven podium appearances last year and McLaren wasted no time in signing him up until at least the end of 2026 and probably beyond.

Norris gave plenty of reasons for wanting to stay, including the team's improvement and feeling like part of the family, but he also recognised the announcement so early in the year was also to reassure team mates who might have questioned his loyalty.

"Everyone speaks to everyone. Every driver speaks to every team," he told reporters of the rumours and speculation that had linked him to rivals.

"It’s just what can one team offer you and another team offer you and things like that. It’s the same with every driver. Everyone speaks to every team on what could we potentially do one day.

"But nothing ever progressed more than that. We shut down quite quickly," he added.

The new season that starts in March will see no change of seats from the final race of 2023 but a majority of drivers are out of contract at the end of the year.

A big 'silly season' of speculation about driver moves is looming, with major rules changes in 2026 and teams seeking stability.

McLaren should have that, with Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri now signed up at least to the end of 2026, while Ferrari announced on Thursday a multi-year extension for Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull already have triple champion Max Verstappen signed up to 2028 but Mexican team mate Sergio Perez's place is uncertain after this year.

Red Bull's 2023 car was so dominant they won 21 out of 22 races and Norris admitted to sometimes asking