McLaren's Lando Norris has revealed that other teams showed interest in his services ahead of him committing to the Woking-based team until the end of the 2025 season . Norris made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2019 and has become one of the sport's stars in the years since. After finishing in sixth place in the 2021 Drivers' Championship, McLaren and Norris have agreed a new long-term deal that will keep the Briton at the team for the next four consecutive seasons. But Norris has admitted there were options elsewhere, even if he never engaged in serious conversations about leaving McLaren. "There were little chats, here and there," he told select members of the media, including RacingNews365.com . "But that's all; nothing, obviously, went far. As soon as something came up, I went to Andreas [Seidl, McLaren Team Principal] and we had a little conversation about what our future holds and so on. "There were little things with various other teams, but nothing that went far at all." However, Norris couldn't be drawn on which of the other teams might have turned his head. "Which teams? That's something I can't say!" he laughed in response. "You'd probably be able to guess reasonably well, but that's all!"
Staying with McLaren is a "strong message"
Having made the decision to stay with McLaren for his long-term future, Norris explained it sends a "strong message" given that other options were available to him. "Of course, there will be opportunities now for other drivers to do things, and maybe go to Red Bull or Mercedes, and who knows if I would have had those opportunities?" he pondered. "But I think the fact that it's known, or the fact I would have had those opportunities, but I still have chosen to stay with McLaren, is the good thing about this. "The fact I've still chosen to commit to McLaren, I think that is quite a strong message. This is where I want to be, where I want to achieve race wins, podiums and championships. "I did weigh up all the factors for my own benefit, and what I think could have come up in the next few years with drivers leaving, and so on. "But, in the end, McLaren, for me, was still the best option. So that's why I'm most happy to be here and commit to my team."
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