Amid rumours that Lando Norris could sign for Max Verstappen at Red Bull, it has been warned that the way the Briton “goes about his business quietly” may prove challenging for the Dutchman.
Last behind Verstappen in five Grands Prix this season, Norris is the Red Bull driver’s closest competitor in the second half of the campaign. The closest is, of course, relative given Verstappen’s advantage.
His performances have sparked rumours that the Briton has caught the attention of Red Bull and could be the one to update Sergio Perez when the time comes.
He, however, has a contract with McLaren that runs through to the end of 2025, one that the Woking team insists does not include an escape clause of any sort.
That didn’t quell the rumours, with Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko adding fuel to the fire when he claimed Norris “would be the best compatible with Red Bull because of his younger character”.
But the big question is whether Norris would need to line up alongside Verstappen at a team that many favour the Dutchman.
2015 Le Mans winner Richard Bradley believes the McLaren driver’s “quiet way” of getting on with the job could work in his favour.
“When Lando started to dominate Daniel [Ricciardo], he went about his business in a safe way. And I think it’s going to be quite unexpected for Max,” he told the On Track GP podcast.
“I think Max can deal with anything right now, and he’s proven that.
“But it’s going to be a very different way of . . . I think under the media attention and all that, he did very, very well in the past, so he would quietly mind his own business and we would move on to see.
“We’ll definitely see some competition. Whether he could beat Max, that’s another question, but they’ll definitely be close.”
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Joining Verstappen at Red Bull carries huge dangers, as the three-time world champion has beaten his teammates, overtaking Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, and is now destroying Perez.
It’s a threat Bradley believes Norris could accept because even if it doesn’t pan out well for him, it would still be a “prized property” for years to come.
“At 25 years old, he knows that even if McLaren comes along and gives him an enormous amount of cash, he’s in a position where he’s 25 years old and even if he moves to Red Bull and it doesn’t go well, he’s still going through being a hot asset in the powertrain market and can make ridiculous money at 30. You don’t have to worry about it,” he said.
And the driver, who will turn 26 when his contract with McLaren expires, will have the age and adulthood to seduce Red Bull.
“Red Bull will learn their lesson by signing up other young drivers who have too early,” added the Briton.
“They’ve let Lando mature and take care of being number one, take care of the strain of having to expand a team around him, which puts him in a much better position than Gasly or Albon.
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