🐷Lando Norris has opened up on the extent of talks held with other F1 teams to quit McLaren.

Norrisꦦ penned a new contract to stay at McLaren which, although the exact duration has not been made public, could reportedly run until 2028 or 2029.

The highly-touted B꧋ritish driver had been linked to future switches Mercedes and, particularly, Red Bull.

He told Sky Sports about the secret talks ൩with unnamed teams: “There’s always discussions, every now and then.

“I’m not going to l✤ie and say ‘no!’ There are always little d🉐iscussions.

“You talk to people and say ‘what could you offer’ kind of thing. But it never went furth✃er than that.

“There have alwꦺays been things in the media, and stories written. It’s not the best thing for everyone here at the factory.

“If you’re working a𝓰way making a part for my car, and you see ‘Norris has links to here or there’ it’s not the best thing to see.

“For t🔯he team’s sake we wanted to get it done now, to put those rumours to rest.

“I am convinced this is where I wanted to stay.

“As much as ther💫e was ‘hey, how are you’ at other places, it never went furtꦫher than that.

“As soon as I came back here, it was a do♚ne deal.”

Norris’ great friend Alex Albon joki𒅌🅠ngly claimed there would always be a place for him at Red Bull.

The seat next to Max Verstappen is due to become vacant for 2025, with Sergio Perez struggling to cling on and Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings, but Norris will now no longer be a contender t🔥o join.

Asked about the lu𒁃re of 🐭Red Bull, Norris pointed towards McLaren’s dramatic improvement from the middle of last year.

“We are talking about the most competitive and successful car in the history of Formula 1 over 🌌a season – and I think you have to ꦕinclude the driver in that too,” he said.

“How close we got at certain places with where we started the ♓season? I think it was pretty impressive.

“To go from out of the points pretty much every single race to be🍃ing probably the closest team on average to the most successful car that’s ever been in Formula 1…

“I think that showed me enough, and showed everyone here at McLaren enough𒉰, that we have what it takes to challenge them.

“Therefore I want to create my own chapter and my own story of being with McLaren and turning the team around and being pa♔rt of that💮 journey.

“Of course there’s always int♛erest and in the back of my mind.

“‘What would happen🧔 if I went here and what could I achieve,’ and so forth.

“But I’m happy with where I am, I’m comfortable and I think in order to achieve a World Championship you need to be happy and comfortable🌞 with where you’re at.”