McLaren’s Lando Norris admits he’s open to emulating Lewis Hamilton’s move to Italian Formula 1 giants Ferrari in the future.
Norris is gunning for a maiden F1 Drivers’ title after ending a 26-year drought for McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship last year.
The 25-year-old entered F1 with McLaren in 2019 and a multi-year contract extension in 2024 ties him down to the papaya squad long-term, but that hasn’t stopped him hypothesising a future in red.
Hamilton has made the blockbuster switch to the Maranello-based Ferrari squad in 2025 after 12 seasons with Mercedes and if Norris were ever to leave McLaren, there’s only one team he can think of joining.
Talking to US station NBC News, Norris said “I know exactly which [team] I would love to go to – it’s the team that everyone wants to be part of at some point in their career – but I’m very happy with McLaren.”
The team everyone wants to go to is, of course, Ferrari.
As Sebastian Vettel once said: “Everyone is a Ferrari fan,” but Norris insists he’s “excited” by his future with McLaren.
“They’ve brought me into Formula 1, I’ve spent my whole life here pretty much and I want to be here for many more years,” he said.
“So I’m excited to stay in papaya and keep fighting for them too.”
Wanting to be at McLaren for “many more years” is just as well because if Norris truly desired a move to Ferrari, he’d have to wait for some time with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc enjoying multi-year contracts with the Scuderia.
Norris empathises with Hamilton’s Ferrari switch
Hamilton is the first Briton since Eddie Irvine in 1999 to race for Ferrari and he will seek to emulate the likes of Mike Hawthorn and John Surtees as an English F1 champion in red.
His move comes after a period of stagnation with Mercedes and Norris can understand why Hamilton made the switch, revealing he’d likely have done the same in his position.
On ITV’s This Morning, Norris said: “It’s a cool story for him to go to Ferrari after everything he’s achieved. It’s a cool step.
“A lot of people said it’s probably not the right thing to do and so forth.
“I would probably do the same if I was in his position. It looks cool. It’s an amazing story for him.
“I know he’s going to want to go there with a fresh mindset and show everyone that he’s still got the Lewis Hamilton he showed for many, many years prior. We will wait and see.”
Ahead of his first Grand Prix for Ferrari, Hamilton told the BBC “I’m still pinching myself.
“Next week, when I get to the race, I’m going to be starting a grand prix in red.
“Wow, I don’t have the words to really explain just how excited I am.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris would’ve ‘done the same’ as Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari F1 move
