Norris nears new McLaren contract for 2027
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 25, 2026
Norris contract talks
Lando Norris is close to a new McLaren contract, and the proposed deal would make him one of the best-paid drivers in Formula 1. The agreement would start in a future Formula 1 season and carry a salary of about €60 million, or £51 million, a year. That would place Norris third on the grid’s pay scale behind Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The move comes as Norris keeps pushing his case on track with a run of strong results and a clear place near the top of the championship fight. He is 83 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the standings, while Antonelli leads George Russell and Hamilton by 59 points. The contract talk adds another major storyline around Norris, who has turned a strong summer into one of the most watched runs in the paddock. McLaren has reason to hold on to him for the long term, and the deal would give the team a high-profile piece in place as the driver market keeps moving around him.
Norris race form
Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, his second straight Formula 1 victory, and he did it with the kind of authority that has defined his recent stretch. He had already won the Hungarian Grand Prix by 15 seconds, and he carried that form to Zandvoort with pole position and a race win by 11.2 seconds. The Dutch victory was the 13th of his career. It also came after a sharp piece of race craft on a restart, when Norris overtook Kimi Antonelli on track after Max Verstappen’s first-lap crash brought out the caution. Antonelli briefly got back in front when the race resumed, but Norris took control again and closed out the result. The weekend put Norris in a strong position from start to finish. He had also taken pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which showed the pace was there before the race even began. The wins at both circuits give McLaren a driver performing at a high level in qualifying and in the race, with Norris turning front-row speed into clear victories. The form has been consistent enough to keep him in the conversation at the front even with the championship gap still in place.
Norris McLaren outlook
Norris has kept his focus on each race as it comes, and he has been blunt about what McLaren still needs before it can fully challenge for the Formula 1 title. He said the team does not yet have the complete car needed to fight for the championship. McLaren is strong in high-speed corners, but Norris said it gives away too much time in slow-speed sections to be confident about a full title push. He also said this season’s car is trickier to drive than the previous one, though better understanding of the package and stronger communication with his team have improved his performance. That progress showed up at Zandvoort, where overnight work between the sprint and the grand prix helped transform the car and set up his 13th career win. Norris was still disappointed by his Saturday pace, and his concern about McLaren’s race pace carried over after Charles Leclerc passed him late in the sprint. Those details fit the larger picture around Norris and McLaren. The team has a driver delivering wins, pole positions and sharp race execution. Norris has a clear view of where the car stands, and he has tied his recent success to the work done with the team rather than to any single breakthrough.
