Lando Norris hits out at clueless doubters as he defends McLaren deal

Lando Norris and George Russell get the Highway Code quiz wrong

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Lando Norris has blasted critics who suggest his McLaren deal is too long as “clueless”. The McLaren star said people who suggest he was wrong to sign such a lengthy deal “know absolutely nothing”.

The 22-year-old also came out to defend the team after only securing one podium so far in 2022. When asked what he thought of people who claim he signed his contract too soon and sighed for too long, Norris simply replied: “They’re clueless!”

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I don’t know why… everyone thinks they know, he definitely could have gone here, he could have done that. But most of the time they know absolutely nothing, all these people coming up with these conclusions.”

Norris was then asked if growing and developing in one team has its benefits, with the Briton responding: “Yeah it does.” Norris signed a new £80million deal with McLaren ahead of the new season, keeping him at the team for another four years.

It means Norris will remain at the squad until the end of the 2025 season despite a range of options at top seats possibly available in the coming years. Lewis Hamilton will be out of contract at the end of next season while Red Bull and Ferrari may also switch up their line-ups.

Sergio Perez’s deal expires at the end of the 2023 season while Sainz will stay at Ferrari until at least 2024. Norris’ deal was slammed by several pundits, with many suggesting Norris should not have signed for so long.

Jenson Button said it was “surprising” Norris had signed a longer-term deal at the start of his career. He claimed it was hard to know where the team would be in three years, making the decision a gamble.

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Ex-F1 star Marc Surer said he didn’t know why drivers were signing long-term deals as they should be flexible to ensure they have “the best car”. McLaren have had a mixed bag of results this season but still lead the rest of the midfield in the constructors’ standings.

However, Norris has only scored just one podium this season compared to three at this stage last season. But, Norris continued to defend McLaren, adding: “I have a good team around me so we know where I want to be and when, what the team can offer me going into the future.

“I still believe it’s the best place for me because it’s where I’ve grown up, I know what we have coming.”

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