Lando Norris has now spent over five years at McLaren and for all the promise he has shown, there has been very little tangible reward for the British driver to hold on to.
Once again, McLaren has started the season with plenty of problems and this has inevitably made Norris question his future at the team, especially considering mounting interest from rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.
Is Lando going to ditch McLaren?
At least this is what former F1 driver Karun Chandhok feels, who believes Lando is “thinking about” making a switch to one of the frontrunners.
“I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull though, is young Lando Norris,” Chandhok said.
“Looking at where they’re [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and [McLaren CEO] Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him [Norris] in for that four-year period.
“I do wonder, and if they’re smart they would have created some sort of exit clauses.
“For example, McLaren don’t finish in the top four of the Constructors’ Championship two years in a row, is there an option for Lando to look elsewhere?
“Because outside of the traditional top three teams, you’ve got Fernando [Alonso] and Lando who are your top two drivers on the grid, aren’t they? And the fact he [Norris] is fighting to even get a car into Q3, there’s got to be a bit of frustration there I would imagine.”
Season opener leaves Lando red-faced
The 2023 season opener was another frustrating affair for Norris, who was forced to pit six times during the race.
This meant that he finished last of the running drivers, but still finished the race unlike teammate Oscar Piastri, who had to bow out following a technical problem.
It appears like McLaren has a tall order in front of itself if it hopes to carry any good memories of this season.
Its competitors such as Aston Martin, Alpine and Alfa Romeo have shown tremendous growth recently, and McLaren already finds itself behind the eight-ball.
For a driver of Lando’s potential, it is certainly not where he would envisage spending much of his future, especially since he has now already had time to garner experience.
His contract runs till the end of 2025, but Chandhok has wondered whether there are any exit clauses involved.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has openly spoken about his interest in luring Norris, but claimed the youngster kept turning them down.
With things not looking pretty at McLaren, would it be wise for Lando to formally express his interest in finding a new challenge?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.