Lando Norris on rumours of a Verstappen team switch: “A good sign”

Max Verstappen continues to be the subject of Formula 1 rumours, even following Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s clear endorsement of his current drivers. This is because, following the Viennese’s clarification, the four-time world champion is being linked with a seat at the world champion team, McLaren. The Woking-based team currently relies on the services of champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. And the former has no intention of vacating his seat any time soon, as he made clear in the Silverstone paddock.

“Lots of drivers want to move to McLaren; I don’t know why everyone’s only talking about Max,” the 26-year-old explained with a grin. And on a slightly more serious note, he added: “It’s a good sign when a four-time world champion wants to join the team – if that’s true, mind you, because I don’t know. It’s a cool thing, and I’m always happy when I can work with good people.”

At the same time, Norris made it clear: “But that’s not on the cards at the moment, and I’m keen to see what happens in the future. I’ll be at McLaren for many years to come, and I also enjoy working with Oscar.” Indeed, McLaren CEO Zak Brown emphasised that he has no intention of changing the line-up for the time being.

Norris returns to Silverstone as world champion following his home victory last year. “That feels absolutely brilliant, but the world title doesn’t change anything; it’s great every year to come here and put my foot down in front of my own fans, my family and the many team members. I’ve always loved racing here, ever since my first home Grand Prix in 2019. After last year’s win, it might feel a bit more relaxed, but of course the desire to do it all again is still very strong.”

When asked about his expectations, the local hero revealed: “To be honest, I’ve no idea. I don’t think the race at the Red Bull Ring was that much worse than the previous one in Spain. On Sunday, we were faster than Ferrari and slower than Red Bull Racing. But we’re simply not where we want to be at the moment. That’s why we’re not as optimistic as we were last year. But we’re confident about our chances of a podium finish. We want both cars in the top three – that’s the goal I personally want to achieve as well.”

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