In committing ✨his future to McLaren until the end of 2025, Lando Norris now oℱfficially boasts the longest contract in Formula 1. 

Th♛e bumper new extension locks Norris in place at McLaren for at least the next four seasons and is a ringing endorsement of the faith and belief both parties have in one another. 

It comes as reward for an outstanding 2021 season in which the 22-year-old scored his first pole position and took four p𝓀odiums on his way to finishing six🥃th in the world championship. 

"I'm extremely happy, it's a big part of my career and life ticked off, and to stay in Formula 1 for another four years is pretty amazing from my side," Norris told select media including ltxcn.top on Wednesday morning. 

"I'm super happy to do it with McLaren as well, the▨ people I've grown up with, the people I've come into꧒ Formula 1 with.

"More than anything I would love to continue what we have and continue trying to reach that dream of oꦚurs, which is to get back to winning races and of course to get back to winning championships and so on."

Why did he sign another deal so soon? 

The⛦ huge new deal marks the second contract Norris has agreed with McLaren in the last🌄 nine months, the first of which was announced ahead of last year’s Monaco Grand Prix. 

Norris, who has been part of the McLaren family since 2017, acknowledged it felt “a little bit weird” to sign two c♛ontracts in such a short period of time but explained the decision stemmed from wanting to maximise his performances. 

💝He believes having career stability will be beneficia😼l to both him and the entire team around him, providing extra motivation and strengthened camaraderie. 

“This is more for the solidarity of me and🍸 the team and just to really put 𝄹the confidence in both of us for the long-term,” he said. 

“I see that as a benefit - one for myself, to have this longer contract and stay here for a while, and for the team. I do see it as a p☂erformance benefit and motivation benefit for the mechanics, for the engineers and everyone in MTC. 

“If I want to find every bit of performance, then that is included in something like this. It’s not just purely in the race car, there’s other areas as well and this is def🔴initely one of them. 

“It was another opportunity for me to confirm my commitment to the team and for them to confirm it with me and give the whole team the confidence that I’m꧙ here to stay and want to keep trying to achieve things with them.&꧒nbsp;

“I think that’s a great thing for the team and that’s why for my own belief I wanted to 🎶do it, because I believe it’s a big motivator for them.🦩” 

Who made the first move? 

Both sides simultaneously approached the ide♛a of an enhanced contract ren꧋ewal. 

McLaren made it clear to Norris that he was key to the team’s recovery programme that has been on a positive upward trajectory sinc൲e 2019, while Norris expressed his desire to contin⛦ue. 

Part of McLaren’s new culture places emphasis on the importance of stability on both the driver front and senior management side. Team principal Andreas Seidl confirmed on Wed𝄹nesday that he and McLaren CEO Zak Brown also have “long-term” commitments that go “hand-in-hand” with Norris’ deal. 

“The b🌊eauty of this sport is that we spend so much time together so there’s a permanent dialogue ongoing between us and Lando,” said Seidl. 

“We obviously have a lot of conversations about where we are as a team, about the plans we have in place and during one of these discussions it was also clear that there was an interest from our side but also from🎃 Lando’s side in order to commit for the long term. 

“They are conversations that are obviously consistently happening and making steps. In the end, we came 𒊎to this common view that putting a new four years c🦄ontract in place is the deal to make in order to have the best shot in order to achieve these common goals.” 

Norris, who revealed his commitment had se🤡cured him a pay rise, adꩲded: “It’s something that after last year and coming into the future, things we’re always talking about. 

“Of course, e🥃very single day I go to Andreas saying I want a better contract! But it’s just something that comes🎃 and goes and we talk about - if other things sort of come up and whatever then it’s something we’ll speak about. 

“Sometimes it’ll be me kind of brinꩲging it up to Andreas, sometimes it will be Zak or Andreas bri🍃nging it up to me, so it comes from both sides.”

Was there interest from rival teams? 

Norris a🗹dmitted he chose a long-term deal at McL🧜aren despite attracting interest from rival F1 teams. 

The British youngster’s previous deal was due to run until the end o⛎f 2023, the same time that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s current respective contracts expire at⛄ Mercedes at Red Bull.

Norris refused toཧ name the parties who had approached him regarding a future move but insisted the “little chats here and there” in the 🌳paddock never amounted to anything concrete. 

After weighing up his💃 options with๊ his management team and family, Norris felt his best chance of achieving his F1 dreams was by staying at McLaren. 

"I think there were opportunities that ꦫI think we knew would be♍ coming up in the future with various teams," Norris said.

"This is a very strong message to put out across to everyone, the faith we have in each other, and how strongly I believe that McLaren can recover still and get back to the front in the next few years, even with the opportunities that could arise in the ꦿnext few years.

“I think that's quite a 🅰strong mes꧙sage that this is where I want to be and where I want to achieve race wins, podiums and championships.”

Does the contract include break clauses? 

Given his form and potential, it is no surprise that Norris has emerged&nb🧜sp;as one of the most in-demand drivers on the grid for the coming years. 

McLaren was aware of this and offering Norris such a lucrative deal shows itౠ was keen to move꧟ swiftly to tie down its star and ward off interest from rivals.

F1 teams never disclose the full details of driver contracts but Seiඣdl was happy to reveal th🔯at Norris’ contract includes “no get-outs on both sides”. 

Norris described his deal&♋nbsp;as a “heavy commitment” and expects to see out the entirety of his contract at McLaren. He also has no concerns about signing such a long contract despite uncertainty over how the new technical rules introduced this year will impa🤡ct the competitive order. 

Norris firmly believes McLaren can continue to make further progress, especially with major new infrastructure in the pipeline, including a new state-o𒆙f-the-art wind tunnel which the team hopes will be operational in late 2022. 

“The lꦉogical thing, or the thing a lot of people would think, is to stay with my previous contract - which would have ended next year - when we’re so early in this new era of cars and new regul♒ations," Norris said. 

“I knew there was a chance or an o♛pportunity for other teams to make big steps forward and maybe we go backwards but I don’t think that's something I am worried about. I am confident in the team that we can still have a good season this year and whatever happens this year doesn’t mean we will be struggling for the next five, 10 years. 

"I have belief even if we have a tougher year this year - I don’t think we will and I am confident we won’t - the next two years or three years when we getꦏ the wind tunnel up and running, we can make that progress we need and I am confident we can get back towards the front, even more so than what I  hoping for this year.

“There are things here and there like there are in every person’s contract but in terꩲms of my commitment, it’s very high. I am very confident I will be here for the next four years.”