(Motorsport-Total.com) – When his new McLaren contract expires at the end of the 2030 season, Lando Norris will have spent twelve seasons with the reigning world champion team. This will likely place the Englishman, should he fulfill his contract, in second place among the most loyal Formula 1 drivers in history.
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Because twelve years is currently also the record held by Lewis Hamilton, who drove for Mercedes from 2013 to 2024 – one season more than Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, who reached eleven seasons between 1996 and 2006.
However, by 2030 the record will likely be elsewhere. Max Verstappen recently extended his contract with Red Bull until 2030. Since he has been driving for the Bulls since 2016, he would have raised the record to 15 seasons.
But twelve does not have to be the limit for Norris either, as he can well imagine spending his entire Formula 1 career at McLaren. “They are the only team I have ever driven for, and the team I love and call my home,” says the Englishman.
Formula 1 drivers with the most seasons for one team
“So if I really spend my entire career at McLaren in the end, that would be something I would be incredibly proud of and carry with me for the rest of my life.”
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Of course, this also means that after twelve years together, it does not have to end anytime soon. When his contract expires, Norris will only be 31 years old and could theoretically still have half a career ahead of him – or more, if you look at Fernando Alonso.
But how long the reigning world champion really wants to stay in Formula 1 is still unclear to him: “I don’t yet know how long I want to continue as a driver – whether until 30, 40, or 50,” he shrugs.
He wants to take the immediate future as it comes. “Reaching 30 is already a big goal,” he says. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I still believe that as a team we can win even more – more constructors’ and drivers’ titles – and that’s exactly why I want to stay here.”
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