Former F1 star Jolyon Palmer has come to Lando Norris’ defence after rumours that he turned down an offer of a seat at Red Bull, pointing to Max Verstappen’s record of “annihilating” his teammates.
Despite potential vacancies at Red Bull and Mercedes for 2025, Norris compromised his long career at McLaren in January by signing a new multi-year contract.
Earlier this month, renowned F1 journalist Mark Hughes revealed that Norris had been offered a seat through Red Bull, who had also turned down approaches from world champions Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
In a column for Formula 1’s official website, the former Renault Palmer driver said Norris’ decision to dedicate McLaren so soon was an “interesting choice” in a volatile driver market.
But he argued that it could prove a sensible move given Verstappen’s track record of destroying his team-mates, adding Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez.
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Palmer said: “He committed his career to McLaren over the winter, which is an attractive choice given the turmoil in the driver market.
With seats open at Red Bull and Mercedes, time will tell if it’s the right decision, but with the way McLaren is improving at the moment, there are a lot better options in the short term.
“As tempting as a seat at Red Bull is, the way Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez were eliminated by Verstappen would make you think twice about joining a team so galvanised around a superstar driver.
Speaking after the announcement of his new contract with McLaren, Norris rejected the suggestion that he feared Verstappen by rejecting the option to seek a vacancy at Red Bull.
Asked if he was worried about facing Verstappen on the same machine, he replied: “I think it’s a longer discussion than just saying that.
“Is Max one of the most productive Formula 1 drivers of all time?I think enough has been proven to him.
“He’s in a team where he’s very comfortable, a lot of things are building around him, so for anyone, even the Max of a few years ago, to take on the Max of today is incredibly difficult. “
“So I don’t think it’s a question, ‘Are you afraid or are you not afraid?’I don’t think I’ll ever be afraid to stand up to anyone.
“But even if you sign up for a team, can you challenge someone early on?And do you feel comfortable doing that?
“And I think that’s a ‘no’ for any driver. It takes time to adapt and time to set up. “
“And if you need to compete with the most productive driving force in the world, it’s not the most productive thing you can do. It’s not a smart move.
“But I’d love to race against Max. I’ve enjoyed some of the battles we’ve had and I’m even more ahead of the battles we’re going to have this year. “
Asked if he had any discussions with other groups before committing to McLaren, Norris added: “There are discussions from time to time.
“I’m not going to lie and say no, there’s little communication and you communicate with other people and you see ‘what you can offer,’ but it never goes beyond that. “
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