Ex-Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson has advised Lando Norris to ditch McLaren for Red Bull so he can give Max Verstappen a “proper fight”. The Dutchman picked up his 13th win of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday to move 177 points clear of the rest of his competitors in the driver standings.
Up until the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, Verstappen had strung together a record 10-race winning streak and has comfortably led the pack for the entire season. But Davidson believes Norris, who finished second at the Suzuka Circuit, could cause Verstappen real problems if he were to switch the MCL60 for the RB19.
“Lando Norris, what can you say about him? I’d love to see him in the other car at Red Bull, giving this man [Verstappen] a proper fight, because I think he would,” Davidson told Sky F1.
“A great race by Lando today had such speed, but nobody could touch Max Verstappen. He had the car to do it and he utilised it well.”
There has been a lot of speculation about Norris’ future. Multiple reports suggest the Englishman is a future target for Red Bull once Sergio Perez’s contract runs out at the end of 2024.
However, McLaren are looking to block the departure of their star driver. According to team principal Andrea Stella, talks are already underway regarding an extension on his current deal, which is set to expire in 2025.
Speaking about negotiations, Stella said: “They are good conversations. We are happy with how these conversations are going.”
He added: “In terms of getting the vote of confidence, we went back to the facts. Certainly, we expressed our love, if you want – love in terms of this human element, and also as a team you kind of want mates to be with you in the journey, especially when the journey is so tough. But you also need to talk about facts.
“What’s the foundation for the future, why you can give us your vote of confidence? With Lando we are doing exactly the same, trying to prove as much as possible on track that what we say is realised, and trying to create a sense that this is going to continue over the coming years.
“I will be at discomfort myself having a conversation with a driver where I’m trying to persuade him, playing cards that I don’t have in my hands. I don’t want to find myself in a situation where a driver said, ‘Hey, you said this would have happened, it’s not happening’. I don’t want to be in this position.”
