LANDO Norris has signed a new McLaren agreement that will secure his Formula 1 future with the Woking-based team until the end of 2025.
Norris, who was born in Bristol and grew up in Glastonbury, said it was a "natural decision" to extend his stay.
His relationship with the team began five years ago when Norris was 17.
After winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, Norris put in an impressive performance when he was rewarded with a chance to test the team's MCL32 car in Hungary.
He was the team's test and reserve driver in 2017 and 2018 before signing as a full-time driver ahead of the 2019 season - making him the youngest-ever British driver to compete in an F1 race.
He finished in 11th in the drivers' championship in his debut season with 49 points and has shown continued improvement since then.
In 2020, he secured his first-ever podium finish at the Austrian Grand Prix and finished the season in ninth.
Last season, he achieved the first pole position of his career in Russia, helped the team secure its first one-two finish since 2010 in Italy, and rose to sixth in the championship with an impressive haul of 160 points.
One of our own. 🧡 @LandoNorris ➡️ 2025. pic.twitter.com/awfyNuKz1u
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 9, 2022
After securing pole, he was cruelly denied his maiden Grand Prix victory in Sochi, where he lost the race lead with three laps remaining after he and McLaren decided to try and finish the race on dry tyres as the race ended with heavy rain.
After sliding off track and then eventually pitting for intermediates, Norris eventually came home in seventh as Lewis Hamilton claimed his 100th race win.
Across the season, he managed to beat his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, despite the Australian driver joining McLaren with 10 years of F1 experience and seven race wins under his belt.
After putting pen to paper on his new deal, Norris said: "Teams are about people, and I love the people and feel at home at McLaren.
"I have grown up in this team and I’m part of this journey we’re all on.
"Last season was another great step, both in my career and the team’s performance, and I see and feel all the work, investment, and commitment for the team to be in a position to challenge for wins and titles in the future.
"This all gives me huge confidence looking forward, so it was a natural decision to extend our relationship for the next few years."
McLaren team principle Andreas Seidl said securing Norris until 2025 will help the team fight for world championships.
Since F1's turbo hybrid era began in 2014, the constructors' championship has been dominated by Mercedes, while the Silver Arrows' grip on the drivers' championship only ended in December when Max Verstappen took the title from Hamilton in Abu Dhabi.
Seidl said: "The opportunity to extend our relationship with Lando reflects not only our commitment but our belief and confidence in his talent.
"It is also a strong sign of trust and commitment from Lando in us as a team and our journey to world championship contention.
"Lando has shown impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver over the past four years and has been an instrumental part of the team’s momentum and performance trajectory.
"We are still on our journey to fight at the front and Lando is a key element of our plan, so to lock him into place, alongside Daniel and our senior leadership, gives us stability and continuity as we build towards our ultimate shared goal of world championships."
McLaren are set to unveil their 2022 car, the MCL36, on Friday, February 11.
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