Norris deal adds welcomed stability to McLaren

Confirmation that Lando Norris will remain with McLaren for at least another two Formula 1 seasons adds much welcomed stability to the team, says Andreas Seidl.

The McLaren team principal has spoken highly of the Brit previously and has been encouraged by the progress made by Daniel Ricciardo in the other team.

With the driver line-up now settled for the coming seasons, he suggests it allows the team to focus on continuing its charge to the front of the F1 grid.

“I don’t separate there between Daniel and Lando; the most important thing is for me that we have now two drivers on board with contracts over multiple years,” Seidl said when asked about Norris’ role by Speedcafe.com.

“That means we can keep going on this journey together with these two guys in the in the in the next years.

“In the end, from the team perspective, I always want to make sure together with the team that both guys in the end get the same chances to battle it out on track.”

While unwilling to brand Norris a potential future team leader, Seidl did suggest that the team will benefit from two drivers at different stages of their careers.

“I think we benefit by having this kind of line-up that we’re having at the moment,” he said.

“We benefit from the young Lando Norris, who is not that young anymore with us.

“He’s now in his third year, he goes into the fourth and fifth, so he has all this experience within McLaren which we benefit from.

“And at the same time, it’s as important to have Daniel on board who has already 10 years of experience in Formula One and gives us a different view on things from time to time because of the experiences you have made in the past.

“I think with us hopefully managing to get this all together in the right way is pushing us forward as a team and hopefully brings us closer to the front in the future.

“Last but not least, the most important thing is these two guys are fast, so I’m very happy with the line-up we have.”

McLaren is this weekend sporting a one-off livery in Monaco, a circuit where Seidl expects to trail Ferrari.

Formula 1 track action in the Principality continues this evening with Free Practice 3 at 20:00 AEST.