Lando Norris has long been synonymous with McLaren’s modern Formula 1 identity, yet his career trajectory could have unfolded in a radically different fashion. Rising swiftly through the junior categories, the Bristol-born prodigy secured the European Formula Three crown and, at just 17, was appointed McLaren’s test and reserve driver. Zak Brown heralded him as an exceptional emerging talent, praising his rare aptitude and forecasting an inevitable ascent to the F1 grid.
That prediction materialized quickly. Norris transitioned from teenage reserve to full-time McLaren driver, becoming one of the sport’s most recognisable figures. Now 26 and leading the 2025 championship with only two rounds left, his loyalty to McLaren appears vindicated. Nevertheless, revelations from within the paddock suggest that an alternate path—one that might have rewritten Formula 1 history—nearly emerged.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko disclosed that Norris had once been on the verge of joining the energy drink powerhouse’s talent stable. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Marko admitted that early negotiations had taken place but ultimately collapsed, lamenting that Norris would have been an excellent fit while acknowledging the impossibility of signing every rising star. Christian Horner later confirmed that Red Bull had approached Norris on multiple occasions, only for McLaren to swiftly secure his commitment each time.
For Norris, McLaren represented more than a contractual home; it became a place of personal and professional belonging. He reaffirmed this sentiment when renewing his deal in 2022, emphasizing the importance of McLaren’s internal culture and the sense of family he had cultivated there. His decision solidified the team’s long-term plans, even as rivals continued to admire the driver who slipped from their grasp.
Today, amid controversies such as the Las Vegas disqualification that affected both Norris and Oscar Piastri, the magnitude of that near-miss becomes ever more striking. Red Bull’s loss became McLaren’s cornerstone, shaping not only Norris’s own evolution but potentially altering the competitive landscape of modern Formula 1.
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