McLaren driver Lando Norris has now joined the top three list of the highest-paid Formula 1 drivers after signing a four-year contract with the team.
British driver, Lando Norris, signed a new contract with the McLaren F1 Team that will keep him in Formula One upto the end of 2025 season, putting him third in the rankings of highest-paid Formula 1 drivers behind seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Norris signed the hefty four-year contract with McLaren on Wednesday declaring he won’t be present in the drivers market any time soon despite being approached by ‘rival’ teams. The 22-year old also revealed the main reason behind signing the long-term contract was to show his commitment to McLaren as they rally for a World Championship title.
The details of Norris’ contract were not disclosed but according to reports, the contract is worth $14 million each year, ensuring that he will earn well over $50 million in the coming years before the contract expires. However, the contract is said to be missing the ‘exit clause’ but the earnings are far much more worth it.
According to Norris, the money “always helps” when promising drivers are deciding the next steps as they fight for the highly coveted F1 seats.
“My happiness comes before all else,” he continued when asked about the money. ” That is the most important thing.”
Bearing in mind that leaked financial details in Formula 1 are notoriously inaccurate, Norris did admit to having “small discussions here and there” with McLaren rivals.
“Nothing went far,” Norris said, revealing seats may have opened up in the top teams ahead of the 2022 season.
“Of course there will now be opportunities for other drivers to go to Red Bull or Mercedes, who knows if I would have had those opportunities.”
“But the fact I chose to stay at McLaren is the good thing about this and is the strong message.”
McLaren is reportedly willing to pay big bucks for Norris – even more than experienced race winner Daniel Ricciardo – in order to ensure that he won’t defect to another team as his experience grows. This is because Norris understands the importance of patience as McLaren strives to win the championship in the coming years.
“We know it (the process) is not going be quick,” he said. “There are things we need to improve on to guarantee we can fight for race wins and championships.
“But I know that’s in the pipeline and it’s what I’m confident of achieving.”
