Lando Norris on Christian Horner’s and Co’s Radar, According to Helmut Marko

Before the F1 silly season began this year, Lando Norris was one of the most popular drivers on the market. So much so that the Brit was strongly linked to Red Bull, and we guess he still is. Norris was considered to replace Sergio Perez and even Max Verstappen was asked if he’d like to drive alongside Norris.

Lando Norris, despite not having a win in F1 yet, has been categorized as World Championship material multiple times by F1 pundits. And now Helmut Marko has come out to suggest that the McLaren driver is still on Christian Horner’s radar for the future. Norris’ current McLaren contract binds him with the team until the end of the 2026 season. The Brit will have one season of the new regulations to look at before deciding if he wants to make the move or stay with McLaren. 

According to kleinezeitung.at, Helmut Marko said, “Norris has at least one contract until 2026, so he is not an option in the short term, nor is Oscar Piastri. But both drivers are certainly interesting for us in the future.”

Will Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’ pairing work? As we’ve seen over the years, two super competitive drivers usually cause mayhem within the team, like Hamilton-Alonso, Hamilton-Rosberg, Prost-Senna etc. However, there’s another former Red Bull driver in line for the Red Bull seat. 

Carlos Sainz to Red Bull; Helmut Marko elaborated

Recently, tides have shifted in Carlos Sainz’s favor, who’s believed to have multiple options at the moment. Toto Wolff is rumored to have offered the Spaniard a contract. Aston Martin also contacted him but went ahead with Alonso, and even Red Bull has links to put the Spaniard in their car. Helmut Marko elaborated on the situation.

Helmut Marko, while talking about Carlos Sainz playing a role for Red Bull, said, “We talk to him, he drives his strongest season in Formula 1. But he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can’t match or outbid. But we still know him from the times of Toro Rosso, even then he drove with Max. But it hurt him a lot when we at Red Bull bet on Verstappen and not on him.”

Do you think Sergio Perez will stay at Red Bull after the 2024 season as the second driver or will the likes of Norris and Sainz replace him?