The “awkward” conversation that sparked Norris’ new McLaren F1 deal

Lando Norris likened his initial talks with McLaren over an extension to his Formula 1 contract to the awkwardness of "talking to a girl for the first time". 

The in-form 21-year-old, who has been a McLaren protege since 2017 and made his F1 debut with the team in 2019, agreed a “multi-year” extension to commit his future to the Woking squad. 

The deal was announced by McLaren on Wednesday morning ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix and follows an excellent start to the season from Norris. 

Norris claimed a second career podium at Imola and is currently fourth in the drivers’ standings after the opening four races, having played a huge role in helping McLaren hold onto third place in the constructors’ championship thus far. 

The contract extension is a huge boost for both driver and team and is a perfect continuation story, but how did it come about? 

An “awkward" first conversation 

Speaking to the media about his new deal on Wednesday afternoon, Norris revealed the extension came about in amusing circumstances during a dinner with McLaren CEO Zak Brown “a while ago”. 

It was Norris’ first experience of initiating proper contract negotiations in his career, and as such, became a scenario he found “awkward”. 

“We were talking a little bit about the future and I was like, ‘about those future years, is it something you want to start talking about now or later in the season?’” Norris explained. 

“It was literally like I don’t know when is a good time, or how to bring it up. It was like a guy talking to a girl for the first time. It was a bit awkward, I didn’t know how to start the conversation. 

“But I think at that time they had already started talking about it as a team between Zak and Andreas [Seidl] and it was something that I wanted to get out of the way as soon as possible. 

“So we started talking and it all flowed from there, but it was just a bit of a weird one for me to bring up, because I had not necessarily been in that position before. 

“The only other time I guess was signing and then after my first year, just extending the contract that we had. This was the first one where my contract was coming right to the end and I was like ‘I don’t know what to do!’ 

“It was kind of funny but I’m happy we got to the deal in the end.”

Why was the deal wrapped up so early? 

Ultimately, penning a new deal so early in the season is a win-win situation for both Norris and McLaren. 

It provides Norris with stability and security over his future, while McLaren has fended off any potential interest in a driver it fully believes will emerge as a star of the future in F1. 

And Norris reckons the timing of the extension will benefit both parties and help give McLaren an advantage over its rivals who are yet to sort out their respective driver line-ups for 2022 and beyond. 

“I think it’s an advantage for any team that continues with [the same] drivers,” Norris said. 

“We’re not going to be winning races this season, but there’s a much better chance to make that next step and keep moving forward next year and the year after that. The best thing for that is to just stay where I am. 

“But also because I’m just very happy with where I currently am. I know I’m not winning races and I’m not on the podium every weekend but I’m still very happy with the position I’m in.

“And I don’t need to waste any time talking to anyone else or discussing anything else. The team has confidence in me and I have confidence in them. 

"It’s pretty much as simple as that, and the earlier we can get it out of the way, the earlier we can just get our heads down and focus on the next few years and on the job we have to do, and let the other teams and drivers worry about their situations and try to take advantage of that.”

Loyalty and enjoyment were key factors for Norris, who stuck with Carlin for the majority of his junior career as he rose through the junior ranks before eventually bursting into the world of F1. 

“It’s a huge part for me,” Norris explained. “As much as I want to win races and championships and so on, another thing that is just as important to me is making sure that I enjoy where I am. 

“I’m sure I would enjoy wherever I go, meeting new people, but getting along with people and having those friendships and relationships with all my mechanics, my engineers, everyone back in the factory, everything works so well at the moment and I love it. It’s so easy for me with the people I know. 

"Just as much as winning and success means to me, enjoyment and actually having fun and enjoying my life is just as important. And that comes with the loyalty side of it.

“I had that with Carlin, I had that with the team I was at in karting, so it means a lot. And it’s the same now - there’s nothing more I’d like than to continue where I am.” 

Were other teams interested? 

Norris insisted that there was no chance that he would have left McLaren, even with his contract due to expire at the end of the year, which effectively made him a free agent and able to talk to other teams. 

Asked if he received any approaches from other teams, Norris replied: “No. I think we probably took a couple of people by surprise by announcing it so early in the season. 

“I didn’t need to [speak to anyone else], it wasn’t like I was searching for it. I was speaking about it for quite a while already and both of us wanted to get it out of the way quite early on.”

Had McLaren and Norris not acted so swiftly, there would have undoubtedly been other interested parties in a driver who is quickly establishing himself as a star of the season. 

But in reality, this was a marriage that was never in any real danger of ending up in a divorce at the end of 2021. 

What’s in it for Lando? 

From Norris’ perspective, he finds himself continuing a journey with a team that is on a hugely promising trajectory, and he now has the possibility to assert himself as a team leader at McLaren. 

Norris is aware that McLaren is in a very good place and that sweeping regulation changes in 2022 could further boost McLaren’s prospects of returning to winning ways in F1, even if success does not come instantly. 

Unlike his teammate Ricciardo, Norris has time on his side and is in no particular rush to achieve his goal of becoming world champion, something he described as being very much an “end goal” for his F1 career. 

Despite his tender years, Norris is able to see the bigger picture and he is laser-focused on shaping McLaren in a similar way that seven-time world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher were able to do at Mercedes and Ferrari. 

There could also be other interesting benefits further down the line for Norris. 

While the Briton was coy about revealing the finer details of his contract, Norris hinted that his new deal could open the door for him to explore opportunities to contest other events outside F1, such as IndyCar with Arrow McLaren or Le Mans with Brown’s United Autosport squad. 

“It’s definitely something I would still love to do at some point in my career,” he admitted. “I don’t think it’s probably going to be this year or next year, because there’s so much focus on this year within Formula 1 with COVID and everything it’s not really capable of doing that. 

“And next year with the new rules you want to be spending the time with the team and focusing on one thing. I think if you’re not doing a good enough job and you’re not doing everything you can to maximise your one objective. 

“But there’s definitely things I would want to do and I think Zak has the same opinion and objective. We would love to do more races together like we did in Daytona with the 24 Hour. 

“I would love to do more endurance 24-hour races or 12-hour races, whatever it is. I have a lot of fun doing those kinds of things. So it’s definitely something that is in the back of my mind in the future.”

And what about McLaren?

The decision was a no-brainer for McLaren and was one that team principal Andreas Seidl described as being “very straightforward”, calling Norris a “formidable competitor” and an “integral part of our performance recovery plan”. 

Meanwhile, Brown knows that McLaren has tied down the services of one of the hottest talents in F1. 

“He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017,” Brown added. 

“Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.”

McLaren and Norris appear to have the foundations in place to thrust the team back into the reckoning as a major contender in F1 for years to come.