Formula 1 fans have urged Lando Norris to resist the temptation of a move to Red Bull and stick with his current McLaren team.
The Brit has held talks with Red Bull in the past, admitting to having talked to the team prior to signing his latest contract with McLaren. On that occasion he felt he was better served by staying loyal to the Woking-based outfit, but this ambitious young man won't be satisfied by spending too much of his career in the midfield.
Norris admitted as much in October this year, when he explained when he expects to see results. "I have to have faith that my team can do a good job. [2024] will be our first year in which we have no more excuses," he said at the time.
And reflecting at the end of the campaign, he said: "If I think before the season, did we achieve in 2022 what we should have done as McLaren? Honestly, no. If we want to do well and we want to be champions at some point and we want to win races, we can't be satisfied with where we have been this season."
His desire to compete regularly for race wins, and previous talks with Red Bull, have seen him linked with the title-holders again in recent days. Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok suggested: "I think they should be going hard to try and buy Lando Norris."
It is a move that would make sense for Red Bull, as they could do with a long-term option on the books. Sergio Perez and new reserve Daniel Ricciardo are both in their 30s and, even though Max Verstappen is only 25, the Dutchman has made it clear his F1 career will be shorter than most.
But it seems there are a lot of F1 fans who would prefer to see Norris remain with McLaren, rather than leaving for Red Bull if the chance came along. In a poll run by Express Sport, 65% of respondents voted in favour of the Brit staying where he is.
Norris recently said he has not been given any iron-clad guarantees that McLaren are on track to meet that 2024 goal, but insists he has belief that the team can come up with the goods. "It's just faith, it's just honesty, that's the main things I need," he said.
"I'm not a guy who in any way likes BS, or who likes people trying to make me happy. I like just people being honest. I have faith in McLaren, I have faith in the guys I work with, the whole team. But time will tell. You can never be 100% certain where you are going to be, but you can have a good shot at it."
