McLaren insist they have the financial firepower to pay Lando Norris the type of big-money deal to keep him long-term.
Norris is contracted for the next two Formula 1 season to his current team but is frequently the source of speculation linking him to know admirers Red Bull.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has already confirmed that retaining Norris and Oscar Piastri is a “high priority” but has now issued a bold statement about the financial muscle behind the team.
Asked if Norris would be worth “a hundred million” as a footballer by Sky Sports, Brown answered: “I don’t know enough about soccer to know what the economics are!
“He’s quite a valuable racing driver, a great asset to the racing team.
“There is no number that we would be interested in trading him for.”
Norris pocketed $5m in salary plus an additional $10m in bonuses for the 2023 F1 season from McLaren, Forbes report.
That makes him the sixth-highest earner in the list of F1 driver salaries, with Max Verstappen topping the pile after claiming $70m for his record-breaking year.
Norris will presumably require a pay-rise if he is to shun the advances of McLaren’s rivals to renew his deal into 2026 and beyond.
Brown insists they can afford to keep him: “The resources we have now are exactly where we need to be.
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