Horner: “Red Bull is keeping an eye on Lando Norris”

It took nothing more than McLaren’s rapid improvement – which the English team achieved from this year’s Austrian GP – for Lando Norris to take a starring role, a regular podium finisher at Formula 1 GPs and usually the dominant Max’s nearest rival was Verstappen.

One of the brightest talents of the Verstappen generation, 24-year-old Norris is now in his fifth season in Formula 1 (since 2019, when McLaren entrusted him with a seat shortly after he came of age), and all that experience has enriched his raw speed with the team.

The Brit has already become a bone of contention among the top teams in Formula 1. McLaren will do everything it can to extend his contract beyond its expiry at the end of 2025, but Red Bull has already expressed interest in him on several occasions – according to the Italian press – and Ferrari.

After Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko’s recent flattering words about Norris, RBR director Christian Horner has now confirmed that the champions’ interest in the McLaren driver remains unbroken.

Sergio Perez’s contract with the Milton Keynes team expires at the end of 2024 and Horner said that Red Bull – should they decide to replace him in 2025 or even next year – would initially look for the driver to move alongside Verstappen would take a place in the company’s pool of new drivers.

Horner, who previously said: “Every time Norris and I spoke the next day, she signed with McLaren“, now stated that the young driver is still interesting for the champion: “Lando is a great driver.” “He is a great talent, a strong personality and of course one of those drivers that you keep an eye on,” emphasized the RBR director.

And he continued: “But there are also many other drivers who are keeping a close eye on you. There is currently a generation of drivers who have enormous talent. Max is operating at such a level that his confidence, dedication and talent are at their peak, so it’s hard to imagine anyone with the same equipment currently able to beat him.

But the talent there is great and we obviously want to have the two best drivers we can have. Ideally, this will be done through the pool of talent we already have. If we believe this is not possible, we look outside the squad to see who is available“, says Christian Horner in conclusion.