Helmut Marko Reveals Lando Norris Has Made a “Big Impression” on Christian Horner & Co. as Sergio Perez’s Seat Still in Question

Do you recall how Zak Brown aggressively defended Lando Norris from moving away from McLaren when the Red Bull rumor mill was churning last summer?

As Norris showed interest in joining Red Bull and racing alongside the inevitable Max Verstappen, Zak Brown revealed how there is no exit clause in Lando Norris’ contract. However, the Red Bull links were never severed, and Lando Norris seems to have made a huge impression on Christian Horner and Co. as Sergio Perez’s F1 future still hangs in the balance.

After the Chinese GP, Lando Norris revealed how he expected to finish 30-35 seconds behind the Ferrari but surprisingly finished ahead of both the Scuderia driver and even Checo. While McLaren didn’t expect to have any pace in the car at the Shanghai International Circuit, the relaxation in Parc Ferme post-Sprint helped the Briton find the sweet spot, giving him a brilliant race car.

Sergio Perez, on the other hand, had an average race, starting in P2 and finishing in P3. The only reason we’re saying average is because the Mexican is in a Red Bull, the fastest car on the grid. The safety car did ruin his strategy, but still, Perez should’ve at least fought for P2. Instead, he was losing time to the Papaya driver towards the end of the race. While Checo would like Red Bull to give him a contract as soon as possible, the Milton Keynes stable wants to sit it out and see the movement in the market.

Perez’s RB contract runs out at the end of the 2024 season, and at the end of last year, many speculated that this was it for Checo. But what a turnaround it has been, scoring 4 podiums in 5 races. Yet, no contract. Explaining how Norris impressed Horner’s team, Helmut Marko said, “If we exclude the Red Bull drivers for a moment: Lando Norris makes a big impression on us from the other pilots, who has the Oscar Piastri more clearly under control at McLaren than in the previous year.”

Red Bull is not rushing the decision on Sergio Perez 

Red Bull rushed Max Verstappen into the F1 seat, and it turned out to be one of the best races of the season. However, the same cannot be said about Carlos Sainz, who was replaced by Lewis Hamilton for the next season and awaits a better opportunity. But Red Bull will not announce both of its drivers toward the latter half of the season.

Christian Horner said, “ Everybody seems to be rushing around and we’re only four races into the year. We’re not in a huge rush and obviously there’s a significant amount of interest in our cars, as you would expect, but Checo [Sergio Perez] has the priority and it’s going to be a few more races yet before we start to think about next year.”

What do you think? Will Red Bull re-sign the experienced F1 drivers or go for young blood?