Norris reacts with anger as Piastri secures his place at McLaren.

      **"For many years to come"**

      By GMM

      12 March 2025 - 07:14

      While Lando Norris contemplates his own future, teammate Oscar Piastri has solidified his place at McLaren for several more years. In a pre-season discussion with NBC, Norris, the 2024 drivers’ title runner-up and a strong contender for the 2025 championship, was inquired about his long-term prospects in Formula 1. “I can’t answer that one,” he said with a smile. “I know exactly which team I would love to join – it’s the team that everyone aspires to be part of during their career. But I’m very happy with McLaren.”

      Indeed, just over a year ago, Norris signed a multi-year contract extension that was already set to last at least until the end of 2025. However, it’s evident that he might one day consider a transition from orange to red, similar to Lewis Hamilton. “It’s a cool story for him to go to Ferrari,” Norris remarked when asked about his fellow Brit's switch from the UK-based Mercedes to Maranello. “Many people said maybe it’s not the right thing to do and so on. But I would probably make the same choice if I were in his shoes.”

      In contrast, Piastri, the Australian managed by Mark Webber, is not yet dreaming of Ferrari, having recently secured his own contract extension just before his home race in Melbourne. The 23-year-old Piastri was already committed to the Woking team until the end of 2026, which suggests his new agreement might extend even further than Norris’. In their official announcement, McLaren stated that Piastri will be with the team for “many years to come.”

      Despite this, Piastri was outperformed by Norris in 2024, and Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko believes the Australian will continue to lag in the upcoming season. “It is clear that he (Norris) looked significantly better than Piastri in Bahrain,” he commented following the pre-season testing.