What the Lando Norris signing means for the F1 driver market in 2022

Lando Norris has signed a new contract with McLaren.

This is interesting in that it was widely believed in the paddock that the 21-year-old British driver was already under contract for 2022. The fact that Norris is staying with McLaren comes as no surprise and likely a two-plus-one contract (three) year deal with the final year being an option year for one of the sides). That could keep Norris at least until the end of 2024, by which time he’ll just have turned 25.

McLaren likely locked Lando Norris in at least until 2024.

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Norris has been part of the team since joining as a test and simulator driver in 2017 before getting a race day seat in 2019. McLaren is now set for at least three seasons as Daniel Ricciardo has a contract until the end of 2023.

“My commitment to McLaren is clear,” said Norris. “My goal is to win races and become Formula 1 world champion, and that’s what I want to do with this team. The new deal is good for me and good for the team. It’s good to get it done so early because I know where I’ll be and that gives stability and we can focus on making the team more competitive. “

It was natural for the team to recruit one of the greatest up-and-coming talents in F1. Norris is currently fourth in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings, just behind Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas.

“Our decision to confirm Lando’s long-term future at McLaren was a very simple one,” said Andreas Seidl, McLaren team principal. “Lando has impressed us with his performance since he was a novice, and his development as a driver since then has been evident. He is an integral part of our performance recovery plan and his previous record, which secured two podiums with the team last year, has shown that he is an excellent competitor on the right track. “

MERCEDES HOLDS THE KEY

The announcement doesn’t have much of an impact on the F1 driver market for 2022 as the big moves – if any – won’t begin until we know what’s going to happen to them Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The most likely outcome is that the two will move on as teammates. Why change a winning team?

This is bad news for Mercedes junior George Russell, who is dying to get promoted Williams in the factory team. It’s clear he has talent but maybe we should remember that Bottas is an exceptional driver too and he had to wait to get his chance. He spent a year as a Williams test driver and then four years with the team between 2013 and 2016 before Mercedes knocked on the door after Nico Rosberg left.

Russell, 23, may have to wait a little longer.

Hamilton drives better than ever and clearly enjoys what he’s doing. It would be remarkable if he quit sports in such circumstances. He’s 36 now but the Mercedes team is still competitive and this year he could win his eighth world championship to beat the record he currently shares with Michael Schumacher.

Valtteri Bottas is kind of a wild card and could leave Mercedes at the end of the season.

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There are new regulations in place in 2022 that will change the cars, but the engines will largely stay the same and so Hamilton will likely still be in the running for the title. The most likely deal for Hamilton in 2022 is another one-year deal. This would allow it to go if the 2022 Mercedes isn’t as competitive as previous cars. If the Mercedes machines are still first class, he can always sign.

31-year-old Bottas is the perfect teammate for Hamilton – fast enough to keep him busy, but not yet fast enough to be considered a championship challenger. He is incredibly resilient to blows and learns from every defeat.

The only thing that could change things would be if Bottas decided to move elsewhere to get out of Hamilton’s shadow and be number 1 on another team.

OTHER POSSIBLE ’22 OPENINGS

It’s a little-known fact that Bottas was on the verge of signing for Renault last year but lost when the big Renault bosses decided to sign Fernando Alonso. Alonso was overshadowed by this year alpine Teammate Esteban Ocon, but Alonso has a two-year contract with the team and will no doubt hope the 2022 Alpine will be better than the current car.

Ocon is a free agent late this year, but getting rid of a Frenchman who defeats Alonso doesn’t make very much sense for a team looking to promote their French qualifications. So expect pretty early confirmation that Ocon will stay for another two or three years.

George Russell may have to wait a little longer than he expected before moving to Mercedes.

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That would leave Bottas there and with no real choice Ferrari Locked up in 2022 as Charles Leclerc has a contract until the end of 2024 and Carlos Sainz has a two-year deal until the end of 2022.

Red Bull has Max Verstappen under contract until the end of 2023 while Sergio Perez needs to improve his game as his one-year contract with a Red Bull may not be renewed unless he clearly does a better job than Alex Albon in 2020. Some think Albon will be recalled in 2021 could, especially if he’s doing a lot of testing this year, which he’s done. The Red Bull stable is one of them AlphaTauri Drivers Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda have five drivers for four seats, so there is no room for Bottas.

Lance Stroll, right, has probably had a place in F1 that long

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Aston Martin Drivers are unlikely to change drivers in the next year, even though Lance Stroll needs a new contract. Stroll’s dad owns the team and it’s hard to imagine the team dropping him. It’s also unlikely that any other better team would be interested in him, because while he’s quick at times, he’s still not the whole package. Sebastian Vettel has a three-year contract until the end of 2023, but he has to improve his game if the team doesn’t want to lose patience.

There are many question marks with Alfa Romeo, as the sponsorship will not be confirmed beyond the end of the current season and it could be clean again if Alfa Romeo decides not to proceed. This could mean a complete change in drivers from Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, although Ferrari may still be ready to make offers on engines if the team stays as a customer and we should therefore watch out for Ferrari test driver Callum Ilott.

Haas signed both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for 2022, but Williams has two seats available for the time being. If Russell has no place elsewhere, he may have to stay while Nicholas Latifi has to do better but bring a lot of money to the team and do it better than last year. China’s Guanyu Zhou has been cited as a likely successor to Latifi if he does well enough in Formula 2 this year.

F1 is keen to find an American driver in the future, but a competitive Chinese driver is even more attractive.

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