Defending formula

McLaren CEO Zak Brown: Defending Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has signed a contract extension with McLaren, under which he will race for the British team until at least the end of the 2030 season. The deal also includes a multi-year option to commit beyond 2030.

The extension will see Norris remain with the Papayas for more than a decade, having joined them as a test and development driver in 2017 and earned a promotion to the grid in 2019. "I'm very, very excited. McLaren's been my home since the very, very beginning of my career in Formula 1 and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible. We've had a great few years, and I'm confident we can achieve that many more times. So I want to stay," Norris said in his first reaction to the development, as quoted by F1.

Norris' previous deal was believed to expire by the end of the 2027 season, but this deal will see him race for the Papayas for at least 12 years. McLaren will gift him the MCL39, the car with which he raced and won his 2025 title. "I know for a good amount more years that I'm comfortable in terms of I've got a job, and I’m where I want to be, and with the people that I want to be with, and for me that's calming," he said.