LANDO NORRIS HAS AGREEMENT WITH MCLAREN CHIEF ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IF HE WINS F1 TITLE

McLaren will reward Lando Norris with his dream car if he can beat Max Verstappen to title glory.

For the first time in his Formula 1 career, the Briton finds himself second in the championship behind only the Dutchman. He has one win under his belt this year but freely admitted he should have doubled that tally last time out in Barcelona.

Had he done so, the gap between himself and Verstappen wouldn't be quite as significant. Norris finds himself 69 points adrift of the defending champion after an opportunity missed, but still very much in the hunt if he can start to close that gap in the coming weeks.

The 24-year-old does not need motivation - like many in his position, he has dreamed of becoming an F1 champion since he was a boy. But it doesn't hurt to have extra perks, like the one promised to him by McLaren chief executive Zak Brown.

"I've got a deal with Zak," Norris told The Telegraph. "If I win the championship he has to get me a car. I've specified which car. We shook on it, but that’s all I'm saying. There's a long way to go, it's still a lot of points. But who knows?"

Before that race in Barcelona, Norris had declared that the title is still very much up for grabs. Red Bull started the season in a league of their own once again, but a few of their rivals have closed the performance gap and many, including the Briton, felt McLaren even had a quicker car in Spain.

Norris will know that the gap cannot widen much further if he is to run Verstappen close for the championship this term. But, in any case, the improvements made by McLaren have vindicated the Briton's decision to ignore advances from Red Bull and stick with the team that gave him his shot in F1.

When news of that new contract was announced earlier this year, Norris was criticised by some. In particular, he received some stick for saying it would be "not smart" to go up against Verstappen within the same team, prompting some to suggest he had run away from the fight.

When that was put to him, the Briton insisted it is not the case and that he would back himself to put Verstappen under pressure. He said: "I believe I can achieve a championship at McLaren, that's why I signed another contract [in January].

"I absolutely think I can go up against Max and give him a good challenge. But I also rate Max - it's extremely difficult for anyone to challenge him for a world championship. Anyway, I look like a bit of a genius [staying with McLaren] now, don't I?"

2024-06-27T15:19:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd