Lando Norris legally isn’t on the driver market right now. At least not for 2024 and 2025 because, until then, McLaren will be his home. Even so, Lando Norris has been on the driver market—just that it’s been behind the scenes. What does that mean? As per F1 journalist Joe Saward’s blog after the British GP, the 23-year-old has ties to join Charles Leclerc in Ferrari. Saward wrote, “There are some who believe that Lando may already have some kind of pre-contract with Ferrari.” Seems weird, right? Saward believes so, too.

He continued, “I cannot see that as being a logical career path, given where Ferrari currently is, but then going to Red Bull and trying to beat Max Verstappen is also a career path from hell.” Well, the “career path from hell” might just be what Norris chooses for 2024. 

Is a Lando Norris switch to Red Bull coming earlier than McLaren hopes?

Even though it’s Ferrari he’s been linked to having signed a pre-contract with, Norris’ possible move to Red Bull has been dominating headlines. It’s no secret that other teams now see the same potential McLaren saw in him back in 2019. Of all the teams that have shown interest, though, Red Bull is the most intriguing. Talking about the young Brit, Helmut Marko even said, “Lando has a contract until 2025, but he is by far the best of the younger drivers. With his youthful character, he would be the best fit for Red Bull.”

Amidst all these speculations that Norris is looking to move away from Woking earlier than 2025, CEO Zak Brown reinforced Norris’ commitment to McLaren, telling Motorsport Total, “Lando will be racing at McLaren through 2025. For sure.” Despite Brown’s surety, Nico Rosberg believes his statement is just as credible as Red Bull stressing that Perez’s seat for 2024 is safe. That’s to say, Norris could jump ship before his contract with McLaren is over. During the Italian GP weekend, Rosberg said, as quoted by Crash.net, “Where’s he [Norris] going? Next year already, I hear there’s a switch coming.”

This came after Norris expressed his interest in partnering Max Verstappen. The Brit said, “[Teaming up with Verstappen is] definitely something I would be open to in the future. It’d be great to work alongside someone like that and, at the same time, see where I can really stand against him. I’d be open to it.” Considering Rosberg’s speculation, he believes Norris is tipped to jump ship from McLaren to Red Bull as early as next season. But guess what? Norris doesn’t see that happening, and neither does Verstappen.

Read More: Red Bull Insider Shockingly Backs Lando Norris to Destroy Verstappen’s Dream Of Beating Vettel’s Record

Lando Norris’ McLaren future isn’t in immediate danger

At this point, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have expressed interest in Norris. And because Verstappen might not have wanted to be left out, he gave his thoughts on his “best friend” joining Red Bull. The reigning champion said, “I know [Lando] is one of the best drivers out there at the moment, and, for sure, it would be very interesting to team up with each other. But, at the moment [because of his contract], of course, that’s not possible.” 

With all the Red Bull switch rumors going around, Speedcafe asked Norris about his future plans. He said, “My future, so I’ve got two and a half years with McLaren. I’m still giving everything I can. With all these extra people coming in, I’m also excited for the future in what they can bring. I tend not to look at the future, like the far future, too much because the near future is exciting.” With McLaren’s recent upturn in form, his prospects at Woking look pretty good. So, instead of thinking about a future at Red Bull, he suggested Verstappen join McLaren. “I invited him to McLaren the other day. So, if he wants to come any time, he’s very welcome.”

What do you think? Will Lando Norris see out his contract with McLaren, or will Rosberg’s speculations about a possible Verstappen-Norris partnership come true in 2024?

WATCH THIS STORY | How Lando Norris Had a Chance to Go to Red Bull But Instead Chose McLaren