F1 News: Martin Brundle Encourages Lando Norris To Put Himself First As He Remains Loyal To McLaren
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle has encouraged McLaren driver Lando Norris to prioritize himself over his loyalty to the team. Stressing that time goes by rather quickly, he suggested 2024 to be the deciding year for the 24-year-old driver about his future with the Papaya team.
Norris's contract with McLaren expires toward the end of 2025. The three years spent with the team have been quite eventful, but it has limited the driver's potential to P2 finishes only as he has yet to secure a win.
During the 2023 season, the MCL60 F1 car came to life in the second half as it challenged Red Bull's title contender on several occasions. Teammate Oscar Piastri even managed to win a Sprint race but, Norris was left without a win for the entire year.
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Though his contract spans the entirety of 2025, Brundle believes that the British-Belgian driver should look out for other options if next year goes by without a Grand Prix victory, especially after considering the potential displayed by him through these years.
Answering questions on a column for Sky Sports F1, Brundle was asked in the Q&A session if Norris could walk away from McLaren in case they have a slow start to 2024 like they did in 2023. The former driver answered:
"Whether you're the team boss or whether you're the drivers, you have to say, ‘I only have eyes for one team one driver pairing.’
"But it's a very small business, relatively speaking and your career whizzes past, you've got to keep your options open.
"Loyalty pays, especially these days in F1 teams, you can build something together but if he sees another year out without a victory, he'll have to, and in any event, he should be making sure he's in the best possible place to win a world championship."
Looking at the positive aspects, McLaren appears to have a clear direction, with the recent car upgrades proving effective. Assuming their preparedness would be better over the winter break for next year, they could bounce back with a loud bang.
