Lando Norris has signed a new deal that will keep him with McLaren until at least the end of the 2030 season. The Briton certainly received a significant pay raise, and the team also gave him the car with which he became world champion as a gift. The decision for a new contract is logical for both sides, considering the situation in Formula 1.
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McLaren announced the new contract with Lando Norris at a rather unusual time, on a Saturday morning during a weekend free from track competition. The timing was not accidental, as Norris announced his contract at the Woking factory, where the annual employee and friends family day was taking place. Over 1500 people gathered, to whom Norris first revealed his agreement, and an official press release followed shortly after. Norris previously had a contract signed in January 2024, the actual length of which was never disclosed, but it was rumored to cover the 2028 season. Now he has signed a new contract for four seasons, 2027 – 2030, with a “multi-year extension option.” This means Norris has a guaranteed contract until the end of 2030 with an option to extend for a minimum of two years, i.e., until 2032. Otherwise, they would not mention a “multi-year option,” but rather, for example, a one-year option. Given this option, we can safely assume that Lando Norris currently has the longest contract in all of Formula 1. Only Charles Leclerc at Ferrari might have a comparable agreement, but its specific length has not been revealed. The team also announced with the new deal that Norris received the 2025 MCL39 car, with which he won the world championship, as a gift.
Lando Norris tied to McLaren for his entire Formula 1 career
Lando Norris could achieve something unique and spend his entire, very long career with one team. Norris currently has 163 races for McLaren over eight seasons. No other driver for this team has started so many times. If he fulfills his contract until the end of 2030, and the calendars for subsequent years always have 24 races, he will have a total of 270 F1 races under his belt. This will not be a record, as Max Verstappen is in a similar situation, potentially having as many as 329 races for Red Bull by the end of 2030. Norris would be in second place, and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari would be third. Norris and Leclerc started driving for their teams in the 2019 season, but the Monegasque missed one more race, so he has slightly fewer races than the Briton. Not long ago, Lewis Hamilton’s record of 246 races in 12 seasons with Mercedes was impressive.
Norris certainly secured a very significant pay raise in his new contract. He signed his previous contract before his major successes in F1, when his negotiating position was average. Now, as a world champion and a much more recognizable driver, he must have received a much higher salary. Estimated figures suggested that Norris currently earns $25 million annually. However, the credible Forbes magazine placed him on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes (counting half of 2025 and half of 2026), estimating that he earned $55 million – Details. This was mainly attributed to a bonus for winning the world championship. Personally, I will not be surprised if Norris earns $50 million plus bonuses under the new contract.
The new, very long contract with Lando Norris fits into McLaren’s strategy of securing key employees well in advance for many years to come. Oscar Piastri signed his current contract in March 2025, which, according to unofficial reports, even covers the 2029 season (they never disclosed the specific length). In April of this year, they announced that Gianpiero Lambiase would join the team in one of the highest positions from 2028 – Details. Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have multi-year agreements signed in the last two years. McLaren has ensured several years of stability by also extending contracts with many technical department employees. As the old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and McLaren is doing exactly that. They worked for many years to return to the top. They succeeded, regularly winning races and championship titles, and in terms of attracting sponsors, they have become a leader in F1. Therefore, stability to stay at the top for as long as possible is highly advisable.
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Top teams have solidified lineups until 2030
A minimal number of changes are expected in the lineups of the four top teams until 2030, which is the anticipated end of the current regulations. It’s no coincidence that drivers are signing long contracts that happen to end at this point. This year, Charles Leclerc extended his contract with Ferrari for many years to come. The team did not provide details, but according to media reports, it even extends beyond the 2030 season. A week ago, Max Verstappen extended his contract with Red Bull until 2030. Now Lando Norris has a contract until at least 2030. The lineups of the top teams are becoming solidified as the main drivers are staying. Mercedes is known for negotiating tougher contracts with its drivers. Toto Wolff will certainly use the fact that places in other teams are taken, but Kimi Antonelli and George Russell should sign new deals sometime soon, possibly also until 2030.
In the top teams, there are only three less certain spots. Lewis Hamilton is close to retirement; I cannot imagine him driving in F1 until 2030. There are rumors that he might extend his contract with Ferrari until 2028. Isack Hadjar is performing very well at Red Bull, but the Frenchman is not guaranteed to drive for this team for many years. Red Bull has other promising juniors, so there might be changes here in a year or two, but only within the Red Bull family. The only doubt in my opinion is currently Oscar Piastri. McLaren will certainly want to extend his contract, but the question remains whether the Australian will risk a change? He is starting to lose to Norris; if this becomes a rule, he will have to decide if it’s not better to be a leader in another team. In a year or two, a spot at Aston Martin behind Fernando Alonso should open up. This team has the potential to compete at the front of F1 then and is wealthy, so it can offer a high contract.
An article where you can find the full F1 team lineups for the 2027 season along with the contract lengths of individual drivers can be found by clicking this link.
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