Marko makes Norris F1 contract revelation

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed how close the team came to signing Lando Norris.

The 81-year-old explained that a contract was ready for the British driver to sign at Toro Rosso prior to him entering F1 with McLaren, where he was part of the junior programme.

Red Bull has the most productive and successful young driver academy in F1 and has preferred to promote from within. It has, on occasion, sought drivers from outside its talent pool, such as Sergio Perez.

In recent years, Norris has been linked with the second seat at Red Bull but has so far opted to stay with McLaren.

The 24-year-old now finds himself in a drivers' championship battle with Max Verstappen, his would-be partner had he joined, or his likely team-mate if he does so in the future.

However, had it not been for a clause in his McLaren arrangement before graduating to F1, Norris might have already been in the Red Bull family.

"We had serious discussions, and we had a contract ready for Lando Norris for AlphaTauri, or Toro Rosso, at that time [for 2019]," Marko said on the Inside Line podcast.

"And unfortunately they [McLaren] found out... and there was a clause which stopped this cooperation with Lando Norris."

Alonso did not take Red Bull approach 'seriously'

In the early days of Red Bull's tenure in F1, it drew upon experience from established names in the sport.

David Coulthard joined for its maiden season in 2005 and Mark Webber moved over from Williams in 2007.

Whilst Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen have taken the team to drivers' title glory, Marko also mentioned its failed pursuit of another world champion, Fernando Alonso.

The Austrian revealed, however, that the two-time winner for the F1 drivers' crown did not entertain the approach.

"Before we started winning, I don't know exactly which year, I think it might have been 2008 or so, we had been talking to [Fernando] Alonso, but he didn't take us seriously, I guess, and so that didn't happen," said Marko.

"But the rest, as I said, we are proud about our two world champions [Vettel and Verstappen]."