After Helmut Marko sacked Nyck de Vries, conversations started on who will replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull. While Perez is not worried about losing his seat this season, his contract will expire after the 2024 season. Rumors linked Lando Norris to the Red Bull seat. However, some say that Lando Norris already has a pre-contract with Ferrari.
Sergio Perez is currently 33 years old. His pace is nowhere near his teammate, Max Verstappen’s pace. So it is not likely that Red Bull will want to maintain Perez past his current contract. Red Bull is also facing some pressure from the FIA to partner Max with a strong teammate who will be able to challenge him for the Championship.
🚨 | Red Bull has approached both Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris in the last few weeks.
The goal is to have a second top driver in the team.
There were talks with the Monegasque, to understand if there was any possibility that the paths with Ferrari could separate.#F1 pic.twitter.com/NaG2JMy3Xh
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 12, 2023
Formula 1 and the FIA always aim to increase the entertainment value of the sport. When a single driver dominates the sport, it becomes less entertaining. What Max Verstappen is doing at the moment is iconic but at the same time boring for spectators.
There are not a lot of drivers on the grid that can challenge Max Verstappen. Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell are among these drivers. All of the mentioned drivers have shown great potential. They are also young enough, hence have a lot of room to grow. Naturally, Red Bull will look to these drivers to replace Sergio Perez.
If Lando goes to Red Bull, he will have to fight with Max Verstappen on the same team. Max Verstappen has been with Red Bull since the start of his career. He understands the car much better than any other driver, hence, Max will always have an advantage at Red Bull. Therefore, Norris might not have a chance at Red Bull.
Is Ferrari the right move for Lando Norris?
Although recent rumors suggested that Red Bull had reached out to Lando for the 2nd Red Bull seat, previous reports have suggested that Lando already has a pre-contract with Ferrari. It is currently unclear if these pre-contract rumors are true or not.
Lando Norris currently seems to be happy at McLaren at the moment. However, he has not expressed any loyalty towards the team. Everyone in Formula 1 has only 1 goal; to become the World Champion. For Lando Norris to achieve this goal, Ferrari may not be the answer.
⚠️| Lando Norris is rumored to have a pre-contract with Ferrari already amid Red Bull link 👀
[@joesaward] pic.twitter.com/s3dwFAczK7
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) July 13, 2023
If Lando’s pre-contract with Ferrari is true, this might also not be too good of an option for him. Even if Ferrari is able to develop a strong car, their engineers and management team are not up to the task to win a Championship yet.
We have seen Ferrari win races in 2022. But they were not able to compete with Max Verstappen and Red Bull. This was majorly due to strategic errors and miscommunication between the driver and engineers.
There is a small possibility that Ferarri will be able to fight for the Championship by next year. But in order to do so, they will need to make some major changes. If they are able to pull it off, Ferrari could be the right move for Lando. But if they don’t, it could be a disaster and a lifetime of therapy for Lando.
Who will Lando Norris potentially replace at Ferrari?
Charles Leclerc has never shied away from expressing his love for Ferrari since he was a child. He is currently the poster boy for Ferrari. His contract is coming to an end after the 2024 season. It was rumored earlier that Ferrari is already negotiating with Leclerc for a contract extension. He has also been linked with Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez. However, Red Bull will not be the right option for him for the same reasons mentioned for Lando.
Fred Vasseur has put Charles Leclerc’s contract renewal at Ferrari at the top of his agenda for a few weeks.
Leaving that of Carlos Sainz on stand-by for the moment, who at least unofficially does not seem to have taken it very well. pic.twitter.com/aPOQvBkvO9
— Q. (@leclercstyre) July 12, 2023
Carlos Sainz Jr. on the other hand is more likely to leave the team. Sainz’s contract will also expire after the 2024 season. There are no rumors of Ferrari and Sainz wanting to extend their partnership. However, Sainz has been linked to Audi Motorsport who will enter the sport for the 2026 season.
Audi Motorsport has made a lot of new entries in racing. They entered their first Dakar Rally by introducing an electric vehicle that was piloted by Carlos Sainz Jr.’s father, Carlos Sainz Sr. This could be an indication of Sainz Jr. singing with the Audi Motorsport F1 team in the future. Most Formula 1 fans also remember the press conference where Sainz Jr. said he drives a Volkswagen Golf. As it turns out Volkswagen owns Audi.
⚠️| Recent paddock rumor mill went into overdrive during silly season⚠️
Lando Norris have a pre-contract with Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz is likely to join Audi in 2025.
Mercedes is keen on Charles Leclerc!
[@joesaward] pic.twitter.com/7YvCw9rGUN
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) July 13, 2023
So if Lando Norris’s pre-contract with Ferrari is true, it is more likely that he would replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. But for the reasons mentioned above, this may not be the best move for Lando given Ferrari’s recent performances.
Should Norris leave McLaren?
While McLaren was off to a poor start in the 2023 season, they seem to have improved a lot after the British Grand Prix. After introducing the latest upgrades, McLaren had the pace in the car to even challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
At the British Grand Prix, Lando Norris came close to achieving his first pole position. Although he was not able to do so, he did qualify for P2 just ahead of his rookie teammate in P3. The team also came close to a double podium, but a safety car would prevent that from happening. However, Lando was able to achieve the podium.
OUR BEST RESULT OF THE SEASON! 🤩🧡
Simply stunning at our home race. 🇬🇧#BritishGP #ChromeIsBack pic.twitter.com/orxErJvHgZ
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 9, 2023
Given McLaren’s recent developments, it would be in Lando’s best interest to wait and see how the team develops the car over the coming weeks. The drivers and teams will now head to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. This is set to be an exciting weekend after the recent announcements made by AlphaTauri.
Let us see if the Grand Prix will live up to this excitement. Over the coming months, Norris and the other drivers’ future should become more clear.